Chapter 276: Blood Saint (3)
Before long, Mok Gyeong-un and Dam Baek-ha, known as the Blood Saint of the Nine Blood Cult, were walking side by side through the cave passage.
The agitated appearance from earlier had disappeared, and Dam Baek-ha, having regained her composure, spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.
"You said you only need to abduct one person, right?"
"Yes."
"Make sure to keep your promise."
"Of course. If I only abduct that person, I will arrange for you to meet the master who taught me the lightness skill."
"Hmph."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Dam Baek-ha snorted as if she didn't trust him, folding her arms.
That was understandable because although she had shown a vulnerable side earlier when her emotions were highly agitated, she still couldn't fully trust this guy.
For some reason, none of his words felt sincere.
She couldn't even tell if his smile was genuine or not.
Despite having lived for a long time, this was the first time she encountered someone like him.
As they walked through the passage, Dam Baek-ha frowned and said,
"You... the skin around your chin is…?"
It looked densely crowded.
Mok Gyeong-un touched that area and let out a soft sigh.
He wasn't sure if it was because of the fight or if he ran out of the medicine he was carrying, but the human skin around his chin was peeling.
With this, Mok Gyeong-un,
-Stretch!
He pulled his skin to show her.
Ordinary skin would have elasticity, but the way it stretched was different.
Seeing this, Dam Baek-ha spoke with narrowed eyes,
"Human skin mask?"
"Yes. It was the most straightforward way to sneak in here."
"So it's not your real face."
"Yes."
At this, Dam Baek-ha clicked her tongue, thinking that made sense.
No wonder his martial arts were too outstanding, and his mental strength was exceptionally remarkable for someone who wasn't even in his prime.
Perhaps a face of an older age was hidden underneath.
As they continued, Mok Gyeong-un said,
"May I ask you something as well?"
"What is it?"
"I heard that if you're from the Blood Cult, you're from the Old Martial Arts World. How many years have you been imprisoned?"
"Old Martial Arts World?"
Dam Baek-ha slightly tilted her head.
It was an expression she was hearing for the first time.
So she asked,
"What do you mean by the Old Martial Arts World?"
"It's literal. Should I say the martial arts world of the past? I heard that the level of the martial arts world in the past was much higher than it is now."
"The past? Ah...."
At these words, Dam Baek-ha's eyes became strangely bitter.
Did she recall some unpleasant memories from the past?
While he was inwardly puzzled, she said,
"I have been imprisoned here for so long that I have lost all sense of time. I don't even know if it has been decades or centuries. However, if what you refer to as the Old Martial Arts World is the golden age of martial arts, then that would be correct. But everything changed after 'that person' ascended and several generations passed."
"Ascended?"
".... You don't know the term 'ascension through enlightenment'?"
"Ascension through enlightenment?"
Mok Gyeong-un's eyes narrowed.
Ascension through enlightenment.
Literally translated, it means a person attains the Dao, becomes an immortal, and ascends to the heavens.
This could be interpreted in various ways.
It is said that an outstanding Taoist ascends when they pass away, or it refers to truly attaining the Dao and entering the realm of immortals.
The ascension that Cheong-ryeong taught Mok Gyeong-un also meant martial artists gaining enlightenment through martial arts and entering the immortal realm.
'Ascension…..'
There was someone who had spoken about a deeper principle regarding ascension.
To be precise, it was a being called Sam-an, who was more of a strange entity than a human.
Suddenly, the words he had said before his annihilation came to mind.
[Divine beasts? In the first place, they cannot exist in the mortal world. When demonic energy reaches that level, it transcends the natural order.]
[Natural order?]
[You don't know what the natural order is?]
[What is it?]
[The natural order is what sustains this world. It's difficult for humans to understand.]
[You're being ambiguous.]
[The natural order is the natural order. If you transcend that realm, you have no choice but to cross the boundary to the other side due to the natural order.]
[The other side of the boundary?]
[Yes. The same principle applies to ascension. Humans believed that through repeated enlightenment and detachment, they crossed the boundary due to the natural order, and that was considered ascension.]
Recalling this, Mok Gyeong-un's eyes gleamed with interest.
'Actually ascended?'
Both this person and Cheong-ryeong had spoken of it as if it were almost legendary.
As if it was difficult to actually achieve.
But how outstanding must 'that person' mentioned by Dam Baek-ha have been to cross over to the other side of the boundary due to the natural order?
What was certain was that for the strange entities like the Demon Kings, it was said that one had to reach the level of a divine beast to cross over to the other side of the boundary. This meant that 'that person' surpassed even the spiritual beasts called the Six Demons, who were infinitely close to divine beasts.
With curiosity piqued, Mok Gyeong-un asked,
"Who exactly is that person you mentioned who ascended?"
"That person?"
At this question, she looked at Mok Gyeong-un with a strange gaze.
Then, she firmly said,
"I don't think you're ready to hear about that yet."
"Pardon?"
"I haven't met your master yet. You know what that means, right?"
"Ah."
It meant she didn't trust him.
Although he wasn't usually interested in anything other than revenge, he was inwardly curious about who that person was, so it was quite disappointing.
Then, she said to Mok Gyeong-un,
"If your master truly knows about the true lineage as you said, you will surely find out in due time, so there's no need to be impatient."
".... I see. Then, may I ask one more thing?"
"One more thing?"
"Yes."
"Do you think I'll answer?"
"Well, that's up to you. Actually, I'm just asking out of curiosity."
"Just curious?"
"Yes. Earlier, you mentioned that they made you starve for decades to make you talk. Is that true?"
The woman Mok Gyeong-un had encountered didn't seem like someone who would lie.
Such a person said she had endured for decades without eating anything, but her physical condition was not like that at all.
Moreover, she even had the face of someone in her twenties just by appearance.
Furthermore, if he combined what she had mentioned in between, it seemed as if she was not an ordinary person but a being close to immortality.
At this, she looked at Mok Gyeong-un with disapproval and opened her mouth.
"Why? Are you also interested in longevity or immortality?"
To this question, Mok Gyeong-un answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Not really."
"What?"
"Is there any great benefit in being interested in such things?"
"Benefit? Isn't being able to continue life eternally a benefit?"
"Is that really a benefit?"
"....."
"If it's a life that continues endlessly and eternally, wouldn't it be closer to a curse?"
'!!!!!'
At Mok Gyeong-un's question, Dam Baek-ha's eyes trembled.
Along with it, a very distant memory from the past flashed through her mind.
A city in Liadong Province, reduced to ruins with countless corpses.
Dam Baek-ha, covered in blood, couldn't hide her shock as she saw her severed arm regenerate.
[What... what is this?]
She had thought that once her arm was cut off, it would never recover again.
No, in the first place, it was impossible for an arm to regrow.
As she was marveling at this, an old man with a scholar-like appearance and a face so pale it was almost white approached her, clicking his tongue.
[You drank that, didn't you?]
[Elder?... If you're talking about that, then what is it?]
[It's the blood of a spirit creature.]
[Blood….. Are you referring to the blood of that monster?]
[That's right.]
[Ah!]
At those words, her eyes trembled.
Come to think of it, when she cut off one of the heads of that monster spewing lightning, she seemed to have unintentionally swallowed the blood that spurted out.
After that, she had lost consciousness due to the burning pain throughout her entire body.
So she said,
[... I think that's what happened. Is that why my arm healed?]
[It seems so.]
[Then, for the other injured people as well...]
[Don't do that.]
[Wh-why? If they drink the blood of that monster, their bodies...]
[Nine out of ten, no, ninety-nine out of a hundred won't be able to endure it and will die.]
[What? Die, what do you mean by that?]
[Apart from you, most of those who drank the blood of the spirit creature, whether by mistake or coincidence, couldn't endure it and died.]
With those words, the old man pointed to the people who had died, charred black around the spirit creature.
They all had a form of death where their blood vessels had exploded.
'!?'
[It seems that the blood of a spirit creature is not something ordinary humans can endure.]
[Then... why am I?]
[It appears that you have been blessed with heavenly luck.]
[Heavenly luck....]
Was she really lucky?
To the dazed Dam Baek-ha, the old man patted her shoulder and said,
[Whether this will truly become heavenly luck or poison is unknown, but if this is also your fate, then accept it.]
[What do you mean by it becoming poison?]
At her question, the old man stroked his beard and spoke as if he felt sorry.
[In the ancient secret book of the lost Classic of Mountains and Seas, it is said that those who consume the blood or essence of a spirit creature possessing the spiritual power of the Five Elements will achieve immortality.]
[Immortality?]
[That's right. You also have a very high probability of becoming immortal.]
[But why do you say it's poison? Isn't it a blessing instead?]
[A blessing? Hohoho.]
At these words, the old man let out a chuckle with an incomprehensible expression.
As she was puzzled, the old man stopped laughing and said,
[Living a long life is not a blessing. It's closer to a curse.]
[A curse?]
[Yes, it's a curse. Why do you think that guy, who was no different from an immortal being, left you and the bloodline descendants behind and ascended?]
[.... Why?]
[Because he couldn't endure it every time his loved ones left his side one by one.]
[.....]
[In a way, his choice might have been wise.]
At that time, she somewhat understood the old man's words, but they didn't really resonate with her.
It was because she only considered immortality as a blessing.
However, as she lived through a long time, she now fully realized the meaning of those words the old man had said to her.
'.... This guy.'
Dam Baek-ha, looking at Mok Gyeong-un, inwardly clicked her tongue.
He had never experienced longevity and the things that happen because of it, yet he was saying the exact same words that the old senior had said to her.
If it weren't for her given mission, she might have also ended this wretched life in some way.
So she said to Mok Gyeong-un,
"You.... Do you know what you're talking about?"
"Who knows? It just doesn't seem nice to live long while everyone around you dies."
"...…"
At Mok Gyeong-un's answer, she let out a sigh of admiration.
She felt truly foolish.
Seeing him take it for granted without even experiencing it.
Sighing deeply, she then said to Mok Gyeong-un,
"You are truly wise. You are right. This is not a blessing but literally a curse. If I hadn't become immortal, I wouldn't have had to suffer like this..."
-Flinch!
At that moment, Dam Baek-ha stopped speaking and looked somewhere.
It was the right side of the forked path in the cave.
Coincidentally, Mok Gyeong-un was already looking there even before she did.
'This is?'
-Roar!
From the darkness, an immense murderous intent and a deep, evil energy were emanating.
Along with it, someone was approaching them.
-Thud, thud!
At the sound of footsteps, Dam Baek-ha said to Mok Gyeong-un,
".... It's not an ordinary person. Can you feel it?"
"Yes, I can."
As they looked there with eyes filled with vigilance, the figure finally showed itself within the range illuminated by the torch.
It was none other than,
"Joo Woonhyang?"
Trainee Joo Woonhyang.
However, Joo Woonhyang's condition was not normal.
Not only were his eyes emitting a strange light, but the evil energy emanating from his entire body had completely erased his originally pure and righteous innate true energy.
Wondering what had happened, Dam Baek-ha couldn't hide her astonishment when she saw the peculiar-shaped sword in Joo Woonhyang's hand.
"How did that sword…?"
At her words, Mok Gyeong-un's gaze also turned there.
Although obscured by the evil energy, a tremendous demonic nature could be felt from the sword.
"Do you know about that?"
To the puzzled Mok Gyeong-un, she spoke in a lowered tone as if warning him.
"It's the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword made by Ou Yezi."
'!!!!!!'
278: Chapter 277: Blood Saint (4)
Ou Ye-zi, the great swordsmith.
Legendary swords such as the Great Destroyer (Juque, 巨闕, Black (Zhànlú, 湛盧), Purity (Chúnjūn, 純鉤), Victory over Evil (Shengxie, 勝邪), Fish-belly (Yuchang, 魚腸), Dragon Gulf (Longyuan, 龍淵), Great Riverbank (Tai'e, 泰阿), and Artisanal Display (Gongbu, 工布) were all born from his hands.
There was an unofficial record that such a great swordsmith had melted the legendary Gwanya Black Iron, which could not be melted through human sacrifices, to create demonic swords.
Those demonic swords were none other than the three demonic swords known to have been discovered in a royal tomb.
Evil Commandment Sword, Howl-hacking Blade, Plundering-killing Sword.
These three swords were discovered by a local official and a merchant in a collapsed royal tomb.
As a result, it brought a bloody storm to the martial arts world at that time.
"Is that one of those three demonic swords, the Plundering-killing Sword?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the Sixth Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha snorted and replied,
"Three swords.... Right. That's how the rumor went."
"Pardon?"
"No, that's not important. More importantly, I don't know why that thing is here, but this has become quite troublesome."
Dam Baek-ha glanced at the Plundering-killing Sword and then looked at Joo Woonhyang's eyes, which were emitting a strange light.
It seemed he was properly possessed by the sword's demonic energy.
She clicked her tongue and said,
"Of all things, he had to be captured by the demonic sword known as the worst."
"The worst? Is it to that extent?"
"You may not know, but after that sword revealed itself to the world again, it passed through three owners, and the number of people they killed combined exceeds nearly a thousand."
'A thousand? Oh ho.'
Interest arose in Mok Gyeong-un's eyes.
How strong must the sword's demonic energy be to cause such a massacre?
No, in the first place, is it possible to cause a bloody calamity just because the sword's demonic energy is strong?
Right at that moment,
"You two…. Your bodies…. Look good…."
-Whoosh!
Joo Woonhyang, who was captured by the demonic sword, launched his figure towards them.
Instantly closing the distance, Joo Woonhyang swung the Plundering-killing Sword, and along with tremendous wind pressure, an aura filled with demonic energy swept in all directions.
"Hmph!"
-Swish swish swish swish swish swish!
Of course, Dam Baek-ha wouldn't just take it.
"Get out of the way."
Pushing Mok Gyeong-un to the side, she stepped forward.
Stepping forward like that, she unleashed the Blood Jade Hand technique, a pinnacle skill, and quickly unleashed claw techniques with her red-stained hands, then split apart all the aura.
Not stopping there, she penetrated right in front of Joo Woonhyang with an elegant footwork technique and unleashed the killing move of the Blood Jade Hand.
'Blood Jade Hand 3rd Stance, Unchanging Blood Claw!'
-Swish!
The power of the killing move, with blue-colored strong energy imbued in her blood-stained hands, was utterly tyrannical.
The power was so strong that it seemed like it would tear apart the opponent in an instant.
However, Joo Woonhyang drew a circle with his sword towards her claw technique.
Then,
-Boom!
The air inside the circle rippled like waves,
-Swish swish swish swish swish swish!
The killing move of the Blood Jade Hand she unleashed was bounced back.
Moreover, the power was also fully bounced back, causing Dam Baek-ha to hurriedly block it and be pushed back.
-Swish swish swish swish!
Pushed back about five steps, she muttered with an annoyed expression,
"Scripture of Transferring True Qi..."
Was this one of the abilities of the Plundering-killing Sword that she had only heard about?
She never expected it to bounce back her killing move like that.
Actually experiencing it, it was indeed a surprising and wicked technique, just as she had been warned.
-Swish!
She raised her head and looked at Joo Woonhyang.
Her lips turned slightly pale.
Although it was difficult to accurately gauge the level due to the evil energy, the demonic energy was so strong that it was drawing out power far beyond her original limits.
To this extent,
'I don't know how long that child's original true energy, who is captured by the demonic sword, will last, but to this extent, he may exhaust it all and die within a few hours.'
In that sense, if she bought time, he would continue to weaken.
Of course, there was another way to deal with him besides that.
'Overwhelming martial power.'
The stronger the opponent's power, the more the demonic sword had no choice but to draw out the host's original true energy.
If that happens, the host will eventually lose his life due to the rapid consumption of original true energy.
'That should do it.'
-Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Dam Baek-ha's hands, having decided how to deal with the opponent, exuded even more luster.
The Blood Jade Hand, when its power is raised to the 7th level or higher, makes the hands smooth and lustrous like jade.
She, who had drawn upon her martial power, said to Mok Gyeong-un,
"Go ahead first. I will deal with that child."
"You're going to deal with him alone?"
"What do you take me for? No matter how much he is captured by the demonic energy, I don't need to borrow someone else's hands to that extent. And the longer we delay the escape, the more disadvantageous it is for us."
"You're right."
Mok Gyeong-un slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
Even though he didn't particularly request it, she was moving according to his intentions.
If she buys time and draws the attention of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, what could be better than that?
"Then, thank you..."
Mok Gyeong-un, who was about to say he would go, looked at Joo Woonhyang, who was captured by the demonic sword.
He was a guy he quite liked.
Although he didn't know how he got captured by the demonic sword like that.
Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders.
Although he liked him, that was all there was to it.
He had no intention of spending his time to save him or do such a thing just for that one reason.
However,
"If it's not too much trouble, could you try to take away the sword without killing that friend?"
"It's not just any demonic sword, it's the Plundering-killing Sword. It seems he is completely captured by the demonic energy, do you think that's possible?"
"If it's difficult, don't push yourself."
"Are you close friends?"
"Not to that extent, just consider him a friend I like."
"..... Don't have high expectations."
-Whoosh!
With those words, Dam Baek-ha launched her figure towards Joo Woonhyang, who was captured by the demonic sword.
Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and laughed.
It seemed that if he had heavenly luck, he would survive, and if not, it was his fate to die here.
***
Like that, Mok Gyeong-un, who had entrusted Joo Woonhyang, who was captured by the demonic sword, to the Nine Blood Cult's Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha, headed towards the deepest part of Eternal Hell Prison.
There was someone he had to abduct in Cell No. 270.
Since he had memorized the entire map, Mok Gyeong-un was able to reach there without falling into the mechanism traps.
The prison cell made of thick iron bars.
Mok Gyeong-un's eyes gleamed with interest as he stood in front of it.
That was because there was a human figure sitting cross-legged with eyes closed in the dark cell, and when he shone the torch, it was an old woman with a haggard but graceful appearance.
He had heard that she held a quite high position in the Fire Faith Order, but it was different from what he had expected.
-Ting!
Mok Gyeong-un flicked his finger and rang the iron bars of the cell.
Then, the old woman who had her eyes closed slowly opened them and turned her head.
The old woman stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un and said,
"Is it mealtime?"
"Yes, it's mealtime."
"But you come empty-handed."
"Yes, I came in a hurry."
"Came in a hurry?"
Hearing these words, the old woman soon raised the corners of her mouth, uncrossed her legs, and got up from her seat.
-Clank!
However, due to the iron shackles, chains, and weights restraining her legs, she staggered and barely found balance, straightening her body.
Having struggled to stand up like that, she said to Mok Gyeong-un,
"The wait was worth it. Right?"
"Worth... the wait?"
"Aren't you the person who came to take me?"
"....."
At these words, Mok Gyeong-un's eyes narrowed.
She spoke as if she knew he would come here.
With this, he recalled the words of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo, who had the female of the Gu poison, Command Gu.
[That Fire Faith Order believer received a revelation from the Holy Fire or something, and she was able to foresee the future.]
The reason she had been imprisoned in Eternal Hell Prison until now.
It was precisely because she was able to foresee this.
However, according to Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo, he had heard that although she could do it before, she couldn't do it at all after being imprisoned in Eternal Hell Prison.
They had tested her unexpectedly several times, but she couldn't do it at all.
Regarding this, both the higher-ups of the Imperial Palace and the organization with the mark speculated that the Holy Fire Priestess was hiding something called the sacred orb, causing her to lose her ability to foresee.
But apart from that, could she foresee?
With this, Mok Gyeong-un asked,
"Did you foresee that I would come?"
"I knew someone would come to save me."
"Did you foresee it?"
"Didn't I say? I already knew that someone would come to save me….. Wait, are you not the one who came to save me?"
The old woman's eyes changed to suspicion.
Because of Mok Gyeong-un's question, she wondered if it was a trick of the Embroidered Uniform Guards to deceive her.
With this, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head and said,
"I did come to save you. But you said you could foresee, so I just wanted to ask if that was really possible."
".... How can I believe that?"
"If you ask how to believe, does that mean you have no intention of leaving here?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the old woman frowned.
"It's true that it's my fate to leave here at this point, but it's better to be careful. The one who will save me is someone with a strong tie to me. Show me the proof of that."
"If you can foresee the future, do you really need that proof?"
"Foreseeing is ultimately like finding a way through smoke-filled gray. Just because you can read that path doesn't mean you can know everything in detail."
"Do you need something called the sacred orb to know?"
-Clang!
As soon as those words ended, the old woman took a step back with a stiff expression.
"..... You tested me again."
"I didn't test you. I just asked because I was curious whether the real reason many people are looking for you is because of the foresight or for another reason."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the old woman frowned.
Then, she soon said,
"I can't distinguish right now whether you are truly the one who came to save me or a trick of the Embroidered Uniform Guards to deceive me. But even if you are the former, if you make me waste time like this to satisfy your curiosity, we may not be able to leave here."
"If you knew through foresight that I would come to take you, shouldn't you also be certain about leaving?"
"Just as one can read the celestial energies but not know everything that will happen in the future, receiving the revelation of the Holy Fire doesn't mean one can know everything. I merely interpret the revelation with these eyes and find the right path."
"You're only saying things that can't be understood. Then, let me ask directly."
"Why are you..."
"It's natural for the Fire Faith Order to rescue you since you are the Holy Fire Priestess, but even the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society….."
-Screech! Screech!
Mok Gyeong-un drew something on the iron bars with his aura.
It was a mark with a vertical line passing through the center of the number two.
Seeing this, the old woman's eyes widened.
"I'm curious about the reason why the organization with this mark is after you….. No, the sacred orb."
At these words, the old woman asked in a trembling voice,
".... Who are you? Who are you that you even know that mark….."
Before she could finish her sentence,
"Please be quiet for a moment."
"What?"
Mok Gyeong-un slightly turned his head and looked at the rightmost among the three passages.
Then, someone wearing a bamboo hat walked out from there.
The person who walked out soon took off the bamboo hat he was wearing as if it was cumbersome, and he was none other than Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom.
Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom opened his mouth with a cold expression.
"I headed here first, wondering if other prisoners in the Prison had been released, and my prediction was correct."
"Who are you?"
"That's what I should be asking. How did an apprentice trainee of the Embroidered Uniform Guards come here? I don't even need to ask if the Fire Faith Order sent you."
-Swish!
With those words, Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom slowly drew his sword.
The moment he drew it, the surrounding air became so heavy that it was suffocating due to the tremendous energy.
The old woman was panting, enough to plop down on the floor.
-Thud, thud!
Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom approached and said,
"If you don't want your neck to be sliced by this sword, it's best to open your mouth right now."
"Are you a second-tier executive?"
'!?'
At the unexpected question that came out of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth, Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom suddenly hesitated.
Who the hell is this guy?
He naturally thought he would be from the Fire Faith Order since he was where the Holy Fire Priestess was.
But how does he know his position?
"You..."
-Swish!
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un put his hands behind his back and exuded a strong pressure with his energy, saying,
-Roar!
"What should a second-tier executive do when seeing a first-tier executive?"
'What?'
At that instant, Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un with a stiff expression.
Those who knew that he was a second-tier executive were Gyeom-chang, the second-tier executive who had been assigned a mission in the Imperial Palace, and the first-tier executives of the higher-ups in the organization.
Coincidentally, he had never seen the face of a first-tier executive.
Moreover, the only known figure among the first-tier executives was the Ghost Blade.
So he couldn't be sure whether the person in front of him was really from the first tier or not.
With this, he tried to say the code phrase that the members of the organization used to identify each other.
"Three…."
Before he could say anything,
Mok Gyeong-un cut him off and said,
"There's no other way. You keep your head held high without paying respects, so later, when you meet him, no, the third….."
-Thud!
Before he could even finish his sentence,
Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom knelt on one knee on the floor, bowed his head, and clasped his hands together in a respectful gesture.
"Muk Seom of the second tier pays his respects to the executive of the first tier."
Muk Seom's eyes trembled as he bowed his head.
Seeing that he was about to mention the title used to address that person, it was undoubtedly a high-ranking executive of the first tier.
Mok Gyeong-un approached him.
"Now you're paying respects."
".... I apologize. Until I could confirm the code phrase or the mark, I couldn't be certain, so I hesitated for a moment. Please forgive me with a generous heart."
"Is there a need for forgiveness? I played along like this."
"Played along….."
-Swish!
At that instant, Muk Seom, who had his head bowed, could see his arms, which were clasped together in a salute, falling to the floor with a burning pain.
'!!!!!!!!'
279: Chapter 278: Holy Fire Priestess (1)
The old woman's eyes inside the prison cell widened.
From the moment Mok Gyeong-un suddenly drew the symbol and started mentioning the first tier, she thought he was on their side.
However, that was her misjudgment.
-Swish!
-Thud!
'What?'
She couldn't hide her astonishment as she watched him suddenly sever Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom's arms with his bare hands while Muk Seom was clasping his hands together in a salute.
Muk Seom's severed hands, fallen on the floor, still twitched as if the nerves were alive.
Eventually, startled by his severed arms, Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom was about to let out a scream.
"Aaaaa..."
-Thud!
-Crack!
Before the scream could escape,
Mok Gyeong-un kicked his chin upwards.
With the force of the kick, not only did his head jerk upwards, but his upper body also involuntarily lifted, causing his jaw to forcibly close and his teeth to shatter.
"Ugh."
-Thud!
Not stopping there, Mok Gyeong-un struck a palm strike at his lifted abdomen.
-Boom!
"Kuh-huk!"
Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom's body, hit in the abdomen, collided with the cave wall.
-Crash!
Muk Seom, half-buried in the cave wall, vomited blood profusely.
"Kuuuh. Blegh."
Because he was hit in the location of his danjeon, his true energy was completely disrupted, making him miserable.
Muk Seom's eyes, writhing in pain, shook crazily.
It seemed his danjeon had been shattered.
His true energy was rapidly dispersing from his abdomen.
-Whoosh!
For a martial artist, the true death could be said to be the destruction of the danjeon.
This was because it meant losing the martial arts and internal energy accumulated over a lifetime.
Blood vessels bulged in Muk Seom's eyes as his internal energy dispersed.
In the moment when not only nausea but also countless complex emotions surged in, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his neck and lifted him up.
-Grip!
"Kuuuh."
"Ah. The bleeding is quite severe. I should show some consideration for this."
-Tap tap tap tap!
Mok Gyeong-un pressed the acupuncture points near his severed arms to stop the bleeding.
Then, he opened his mouth with a smile.
"I thought the second-tier executive was the adjutant next to the Associate Military Commissioner, but it seems the Imperial Palace is quite important. Seeing that there's one more person."
'Wh-what the hell is this bastard?'
Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom looked at Mok Gyeong-un with trembling eyes.
He considered himself to have excellent judgment, enough to be considered at the level of the first tier.
However, he was deceived in a way that was so absurdly futile.
No, he had no choice but to be deceived.
In the first place, it was more strange not to be deceived when he listed things that only those at the second tier or higher of the organization would know so confidently.
"You... Who... are you? Are you... really from the Fire Faith Order?"
Normally, he would have smirked and said, "Who knows?"
However, since the Holy Fire Priestess of the Fire Faith Order was watching inside the prison cell, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and answered casually,
"So you really thought I was one of them?"
"Kuuuh."
-Drip drip!
Blood flowed back from his stomach, and blood continuously dripped from Muk Seom's mouth.
As if not caring about this at all, Mok Gyeong-un stared at him intently and then suddenly smeared a drop of his blood on his index finger with the opposite hand.
Muk Seom was puzzled, wondering what he was doing,
-Swish! Swish!
Mok Gyeong-un then began to carve something on his forehead, throat, and,
-Rip!
He tore open his chest and started carving near his heart.
It was the character for "protection."
He was forming a talisman using his own blood, imbuing it with curse power.
After writing this, Mok Gyeong-un sealed the hand seal and muttered,
'The Art of Protecting the Body from Evil Curses.'
"The Great Powerful God of the Northern Dipper, the Heavenly Dog, the Earthly Dog, the Six Ding, the Six Jia, the Commanding Gods, the Great Power of the Morning Sun, the True Qian and Kun..."
As he chanted the incantation for the protective technique, Muk Seom, feeling an ominous sensation, tried to shake off Mok Gyeong-un's hand.
However, as his danjeon was destroyed and his true energy was rapidly weakening, it was impossible for him to do so.
-Grip!
"Kuh!"
Rather, Mok Gyeong-un tightened his grip on his neck, making it hard for him to breathe.
Mok Gyeong-un, who had been chanting the incantation while sealing the hand seal, stopped.
Then, this time,
-Swish!
'!?'
He suddenly brought his finger to Muk Seom's mouth.
Then,
-Pluck!
"Ugh!"
He pulled out one of Muk Seom's upper front teeth.
Muk Seom, who had one tooth pulled out, couldn't understand what this man was doing.
However, Mok Gyeong-un didn't stop there after pulling out the tooth,
-Pluck!
He pulled out another of Muk Seom's teeth.
He kept pulling out not just one, but eventually pulled out six teeth.
As a result, with all his front teeth pulled out, Muk Seom's appearance, bleeding profusely from the empty spots, became pitiful to look at.
-Swish swish swish!
Mok Gyeong-un carved letters on the pulled-out teeth.
They were the names of the Six Jia Gods.
After carving the names of the Six Jia Gods,
"The Six Jia Gods, the Yin Gods, the Guardian Gods, the Successful Completion, the Golden Prohibition of the Three Purities, the Imperial Decree of the Jade Emperor, the Swift Response."
He chanted the Corpse Untying Mantra seven times, inhaled seven breaths, and scattered it to the east.
Then, he took off Muk Seom's shoes and threw one three steps to the east and the other three steps to the west.
'What the hell is he doing?'
Even the old woman inside the prison cell couldn't understand Mok Gyeong-un's actions.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un smiled as if he had finished and said to Muk Seom,
"Now the preparations are done."
"What... are you... doing?"
"Ah. Nothing much. I'm just taking some precautions against the restriction placed on you."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Muk Seom showed an expression of incomprehension.
What does he mean by restriction?
Restrictions were originally imposed on those belonging to the fifth tier in the three realms.
Even though they were middle-level executives, those who received the title of executive at the second tier had no memory of receiving such restrictions or being forced to do so.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un said,
"It seems you don't even know that you've been restricted."
"What are you talking about..."
"Even the adjutant you mentioned died from... here."
-Tap tap!
Mok Gyeong-un tapped his head with his finger and said,
"His head exploded when he mentioned the one you serve."
"... Don't say nonsense. We have never been subjected to such restrictions."
"Then, as a test, try talking about the one you serve."
"What?"
"You said you've never been restricted. So tell me what you call the one you serve."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Muk Seom closed his mouth.
That was because everything related to that person and everything associated with him must not be divulged.
It was an absolute rule that must be followed in the organization.
However, as Mok Gyeong-un kept making disturbing remarks about restrictions, it became even more difficult for him to open his mouth.
"What are you talking about..."
-Stab!
Before he could finish his sentence, Mok Gyeong-un's finger dug into his eye socket.
As a result, Muk Seom turned pale and couldn't move.
'This... crazy... bastard...'
To him, Mok Gyeong-un said,
"I don't have time, so if you don't answer, I'll pull out one of your eyeballs like this. You've never seen your own eyeball before, right?"
With those words, he smiled brightly,
-Shiver!
At that sight, Muk Seom felt a chill run down his spine.
By looking into a person's eyes, one could determine whether they would really do something or not.
Mok Gyeong-un's eyes showed a gaze that would carry out that action without a moment's hesitation.
So, Muk Seom spoke in a trembling voice,
"If-if what you say is true, and I'll die from the restriction the moment I divulge it, do you think I can speak?"
"Don't worry. That's why I placed a talisman on your body to block the curse power and created a corpse to substitute you using the corpse untying technique."
"Corpse?"
"Yes. So feel free to talk. Of course, if you don't want to talk, you can just keep your mouth shut."
"..."
"But after I count to three, I'll pull out this eyeball of yours. And after counting to three again, the other eye. And next, I'll twist and tear off your nose... Well, I'm too lazy to mention what's next, so imagine it yourself."
"..."
Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom couldn't say a word with a stiff face.
In this situation, anyone who wasn't prepared to die would have no choice but to open their mouth.
That's how terrifying Mok Gyeong-un's every word and action was.
Under this pressure, Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom finally opened his mouth.
"If-if I just tell you what we call him, will that be enough?"
"If you answer a few more questions, I'll guarantee your life at least."
"..."
Muk Seom fell into a momentary dilemma.
Even if he was worse than dog shit, would it be better to at least save his life since this world was better than the afterlife?
-Swish!
Then, his eyes fell on his severed arms and destroyed danjeon.
Even if he survived, he would be no different from being dead.
'Sigh.'
Moreover, the organization would surely kill him to silence him anyway, as he had become useless as a martial artist.
In the end, Muk Seom decided to keep his loyalty to the organization.
"Just kill..."
"I'll restore your severed arms and danjeon as well."
"What? How can that be..."
"If you can't believe it, I can't help it, but I'm just letting you know it's possible. However, the longer you delay, the less likely it will be restored, so it's better to hurry."
"..."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Muk Seom, who had been determined to keep his loyalty, changed his mind.
"I'll talk."
"That's a good choice."
Mok Gyeong-un had instantly read what kind of mindset he had by looking at how he stared at his arms and his determined eyes.
"Now, speak."
"... Alright. We call him the third..."
-Splat!
Right at that moment,
The shoe placed three steps to the east exploded with a splat.
"Wh-what is this?"
Muk Seom couldn't hide his surprise.
On the other hand, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth slightly rose as he watched this.
As expected, his prediction was correct.
In sorcery, a curse could only be lifted if the target paid a price.
So, Mok Gyeong-un had created a fake corpse of Muk Seom using the corpse untying technique to deceive the curse.
Of course, it looked like a simple shoe, but magically, it was his corpse.
Just because it was a corpse didn't mean it could escape the curse.
-Swish!
Mok Gyeong-un held out his hand, gesturing for Muk Seom to continue speaking.
Then, Muk Seom, who had flinched at the exploded shoe, swallowed dry saliva and continued,
"We call him Mok-gan (目艮, The Third Eye)."
-Splat!
As soon as he finished speaking, the shoe placed three steps to the west exploded.
Seeing this, Muk Seom let out a sigh of relief with trembling eyes.
"Phew..."
Was there really a restriction or something in place?
He didn't know if it was this man's ploy, but the moment he spoke the name of that person, he felt his whole body tremble and the blood in his head surge in reverse, so it seemed to have been really dangerous...
-Splat!
At that moment, Muk Seom's head exploded.
Mok Gyeong-un, who had been holding his exploded head, wiped the bloody flesh with his sleeve and muttered,
"... It failed."
He thought he had succeeded in deceiving and diverting the curse power.
However, the curse was so strong that this man's head couldn't endure it and eventually exploded.
He had considered it a clever trick, but the curse power of the one who placed the restriction was much higher than his own.
Seeing that even the corpse untying technique, which deceived death, couldn't ultimately avoid the curse, it seemed the sorcery had reached a truly high level.
'How annoying.'
Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.
If he could overcome the curse, he thought he could extract more information, but it turned out to be regrettable.
Of course, even so, he had clearly found out one thing.
It was that their leader was called the "Third Mok-gan (目艮)."
'The Third Mok-gan...'
Why did they call him that?
Literally translated, it meant "opposing the third sight."
It was difficult to understand what this meant.
However, it seemed there was no time to speculate on this meaning now.
-Thud, thud!
Mok Gyeong-un turned his steps and approached the prison cell, saying,
"You've waited a long time."
"..."
"I wanted to find out more, but as you can see, they are in no condition to answer. So I hope you, the Holy Fire Priestess, can tell me. Why are these people after you and that treasure you mentioned?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the old woman, no, the Holy Fire Priestess opened her mouth.
"You... I'm not sure if you're really a follower of our order."
"Why do you say that?"
"The doctrine of our order is to revere the holy fire, practice good, and eliminate evil."
"And?"
At that question, the Holy Fire Priestess pointed at Mok Gyeong-un with her finger and spoke in a cold voice,
"But no matter how I look at you, you are evil itself."
280: Chapter 279: Holy Fire Priestess (2)
"The doctrine of our order is to revere the sacred fire, practice good, and eliminate evil."
"And?"
"But no matter how I look at you, you are evil itself."
Along with those words, the Holy Fire Priestess inside the prison cell looked at him coldly.
To the old woman, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and said,
"I can be evil, I guess."
"You guess? For the followers of our sect, constantly practicing good and staying away from evil is a trial and something that sustains oneself..."
"Put aside those old-fashioned words and tell me who determines the standards of good and evil."
"What?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the Holy Fire Priestess's eyes narrowed.
Who determines the standards of good and evil?
It was an absurd question.
"Why are you asking a question that is moral and taken for granted? Can't you even distinguish between right and wrong?"
"Who defines what is right and wrong?"
"Hah... Are you trying to have a word battle with me now?"
"It's more that I find it amusing how you take things for granted."
"Finding it amusing to take things for granted?"
"Yes."
"After all, aren't the standards of right and wrong, good and evil, set by someone?"
"What?"
"In the end, it's people who set those so-called standards, isn't it?"
"..."
The Holy Fire Priestess couldn't deny this.
In the first place, the standards were ultimately set by the people of the past, and they were passed down and became customs and morality.
The same goes for the doctrine of the Fire Faith Order.
They follow what was passed down from the Parsa Kingdom.
However, if one argues about the fundamentals like this, there will be no end to it.
"What are you trying to say? Are you denying that someone set the standards? But do you think you can deny them?"
"Why do you say that?"
"There are things that the majority considers right and things that the minority considers right."
"And?"
"The world ultimately moves towards what the majority considers right, and even what is considered wrong in terms of morality will eventually lean towards the will of the majority."
"So you're saying that good and evil, right and wrong, are opinions set by the majority, and those belonging to the minority should follow them?"
"..."
"That answer cannot be given by me. In the end, it's a matter that you have to accept for yourself. However, until the majority makes that decision, there must have been a lot of contemplation, conflicts, and trial and error."
"Ah, I see."
The Holy Fire Priestess believed that even in teachings, enlightenment ultimately comes from accepting it for oneself.
There was no point in discussing fundamentals all day long and trying to instill this and that if one didn't accept it for oneself.
To her, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile,
"Then, the Fire Faith Order is an absolute evil and an absolutely wrong thing that shouldn't exist in the world."
"What? What are you..."
"You said it yourself. The reason why the minority should follow the opinion of the majority."
"That's..."
"The Fire Faith Order and its doctrine, which are rejected by the majority of the people in the Central Plains, belong to the minority, so they should naturally be denied, shouldn't they?"
"..."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the Holy Fire Priestess couldn't give any answer.
Rather, she had been countered.
She had tried to educate him by teaching him the doctrine due to the evil she felt from him, but instead, she had only exposed the weakness in her own words.
'... A cunning fellow.'
If she raised a counter argument for the sake of her order here, it would only lead to a repetitive debate where she would have to contradict her own words.
The Holy Fire Priestess clicked her tongue and said,
"It's been a while since I've been entangled in words like this."
"Is that so?"
"But thanks to that, it has become clearer."
"Clearer? What is it?"
"I can no longer be certain that you, who have doubts about the teachings of our sect, are truly one of us."
The Holy Fire Priestess's eyes were filled with suspicion.
Seeing her like that, Mok Gyeong-un thought he should stimulate her appropriately.
He had many things he wanted to find out from her, but there wasn't enough time now, and if he made her more suspicious, it might become troublesome to help her escape.
"Ah. It seems I haven't been able to gain your trust, Holy Fire Priestess. Then how about this?"
Mok Gyeong-un took something out from his bosom.
It was none other than,
"That is?"
What Mok Gyeong-un took out was the ring given to him by Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon.
He had said that this was a token that proved one's identity as a follower of the sect.
After showing the token, Mok Gyeong-un clasped his hands together in a respectful manner, bowed his waist, and paid his respects.
"A follower of the Fire Faith Order pays his respects to the Holy Fire Priestess."
At Mok Gyeong-un's greeting, the Holy Fire Priestess, whose mind had been filled with suspicion just a moment ago, became confused.
'How did he get this?'
That was because the ring Mok Gyeong-un showed was a token that only the high-ranking position of bishops in the Fire Faith Order could possess.
Even within the Fire Faith Order, there weren't many bishops.
So she asked,
"Who did you receive this from?"
Judging by his appearance, he couldn't be older than his prime, so it couldn't be his own.
Therefore, she was convinced that Mok Gyeong-un must have received this token from someone.
"I received it from my master."
"Your master? Tell me his esteemed name or sect name."
Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon had told him to omit his surname when introducing himself to a fellow sect member.
He said that this surname was inherited from the previous generation's Shadow Clan Master.
So Mok Gyeong-un said,
"It's Ya-seon."
"Bishop Ya-seon!"
At those words, the Holy Fire Priestess's voice became excited for the first time.
Mok Gyeong-un observed this intently.
He had predicted that Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon would be a quite high-ranking figure in the Fire Faith Order, but seeing the Holy Fire Priestess, who was second only to the Society Leader, show this reaction, it seemed he was indeed a very important person.
"Sent by Bishop Ya-seon? Where is he now?"
"Do you know an organization called the Heaven and Earth Society?"
"The Heaven and Earth Society? Isn't it one of the largest organizations in the martial arts world? How could I not know about it? Then, are you saying that Bishop Ya-seon was still there?"
Thanks to her reaction, Mok Gyeong-un learned that Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon had been in the Heaven and Earth Society for much longer than he had expected.
Then, she said,
"I can't believe Bishop Ya-seon is still alive and using his power to help us like this. It's truly a blessing for our order."
'...'
At these words, Mok Gyeong-un's eyes became strange.
Was it really true that the Holy Fire Priestess could foresee the future?
If she had such an ability, she would have predicted the information she was curious about, such as the life and death of the Shadow Clan Master, but it was incomprehensible.
Just as this doubt was about to intensify,
-Rumble rumble rumble!
Suddenly, a tremor was felt from the ground, and the entire cave suddenly shook.
The scale of the shaking was incomparable to when Mok Gyeong-un and the Nine Blood Cult's Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha were fighting.
"Whoa?"
It was so severe that the Holy Fire Priestess staggered and grasped the iron bars.
'What is this?'
Mok Gyeong-un placed his hand on the ground, puzzled.
Then, the intense shaking of the entire cave quickly subsided.
He couldn't understand what this phenomenon was.
As he was puzzled, the Holy Fire Priestess said,
"For now, let's get out of here. If we don't leave quickly, we'll be in trouble."
"Do you know why?"
"Not exactly. It's just that this is the first time the entire cave has shaken so violently."
"You said it's the first time, but does that mean it has shaken before, even if not severely?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's question, the Holy Fire Priestess recalled something.
"Although not to this extent, whenever it shook even a little as if an earthquake had occurred, the Embroidered Uniform Guards who came here would hurry out... Ah! Not all of them. Come to think of it, among those who interrogated me, only the one who said he was the overall head of the underground prison didn't leave and closed the door inside the cell."
"Even when this place shook?"
"That's right."
"Pointing to this tremor, that person told me to remember. He said it was absolutely impossible for me to escape the Eternal Hell Prison alive."
"Impossible?"
Mok Gyeong-un stroked his chin at those words.
From his experience, escaping Eternal Hell Prison didn't seem impossible to that extent.
Well, it felt meaningless to say that anyone who entered here couldn't escape.
Then, could there be something else hidden?
Mok Gyeong-un removed his hand from the ground and said,
"For now, let's go out. Let's see if it's really impossible or not, as you said."
"... Bishop Ya-seon is always cautious, but you seem to have more confidence than you appear."
"I prefer to face things head-on rather than worry. More importantly, would you mind stepping back a little?"
"Step back?"
"It's hard to cut the iron bars if you're leaning against them."
"Ah!"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the Holy Fire Priestess took about five steps back.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un grasped his sword fingers and lightly slashed at the iron bars.
-Swish!
The Holy Fire Priestess couldn't hide her puzzlement when he slashed the iron bars with his bare hands instead of using that dead man's sword.
Could the iron bars really be cut just by slashing with fingers...
-Clang!
At that moment, the iron bars that Mok Gyeong-un's sword fingers had brushed past were cut and fell over.
Seeing this, the Holy Fire Priestess swallowed dry saliva and licked her lips.
Although he seemed to be not even in his prime, she was inwardly amazed that he was a master skilled enough to cut iron bars with his bare hands.
'Bishop Ya-seon's disciple is indeed outstanding in martial prowess.'
She wondered if Bishop Ya-seon was also this skilled.
After removing all the restraints on her arms and legs, the Holy Fire Priestess was able to come out of the prison cell.
"... I'm not completely out yet, but thank you."
She expressed her gratitude to Mok Gyeong-un.
In response, Mok Gyeong-un lightly shrugged his shoulders.
Right at that moment,
-Rumble rumble rumble!
Once again, the entire cave shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred in the underground prison.
But this time, it was even more severe than before.
To what extent? The cave walls cracked, and a strange pressure was felt along with the shaking.
With this, Mok Gyeong-un, who had his hand on the ground, frowned.
'Is this why?'
-Rumble rumble rumble!
The Holy Fire Priestess staggered and grasped the cave wall, asking,
"Wh-what is happening?"
In response to her question, Mok Gyeong-un answered in a dumbfounded tone,
"It seems the ground below has completely collapsed, and the ground we are on is also falling."
'!?'
This shaking and pressure, which made it difficult to stand properly, were caused by that.
Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue at the situation he was experiencing for the first time.
Although it was called Eternal Hell Prison, he never expected that it would make the ground of one floor collapse and fall.
***
-Rumble rumble rumble!
"Oh no..."
At the passage leading from Eternal Hell Prison to the 3rd floor of the underground prison.
Six Offices Commander Im Gyu-wol, the head of the Fourth Office, couldn't hide his despair as he looked at the collapsed area.
He didn't expect that the final mechanism trap would actually be triggered.
"Damn it!"
Six Offices Commander Im Gyu-wol couldn't hold back and shouted loudly in anger.
So many prisoners had escaped from their cells that he had hurried here in case the final mechanism trap would be triggered, but it was already over.
-Rumble rumble rumble!
The pressure that made it difficult to even stand up was a phenomenon where the ground below had collapsed, and the entire level of Eternal Hell Prison was falling.
As far as he knew, it would fall for about 1 ri (approx. 0.5 km).
As this place fell, the collapsed and emptied ground would be immediately filled, making it absolutely impossible to go back up.
-Crunch!
He should have just not come down at all.
If it weren't for the pressure from Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom, this situation wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Im Gyu-wol finally came to his senses.
'There's no time for this.'
If he stayed still, he would eventually die.
Now that the final mechanism trap had been triggered, the only way to survive, even a little, was for everyone to join forces.
Prisoners, Embroidered Uniform Guards, it didn't matter who, as long as one person lent a hand to dig upwards, that was the only answer.
Moreover, the final mechanism trap wasn't the end of it.
According to the information he had received about the underground prison, once they fell to the bottom, hidden prison cells would open, and 36 bronze humanoid entities inside would be released to indiscriminately attack those who had escaped.
-Tap tap tap tap!
With this, Im Gyu-wol hurriedly ran towards the inner part of Eternal Hell Prison.
'If they want to live, they'll cooperate obediently.'
***
Mok Gyeong-un said to the Nine Blood Cult's Sixth Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha with a surprised tone,
"Oh ho. You're able to subdue him alive?"
Mok Gyeong-un had inwardly expected that Joo Woonhyang, who was entranced by the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword, would lose his life while fighting against Dam Baek-ha.
But perhaps he had heavenly luck?
Although his complexion was somewhat haggard, Joo Woonhyang was lying in front of Dam Baek-ha, who was leaning against the wall, peacefully asleep after fainting.
And on the floor beside him, the Plundering-killing Sword was half-buried.
True to its nature as a demonic sword, even though it was stuck in the ground, it faintly trembled and exuded a demonic aura.
"Aside from saving this brat or not, what are you going to do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you're asking because you don't know. If we had just left with only you and me earlier, this wouldn't have happened, right?"
The reason Dam Baek-ha was angry was simple.
It was because she had also sensed that the ground had fallen below.
"We're trapped here and about to dig our graves just to save that young old woman."
"Young old woman?"
At Dam Baek-ha's words, the Holy Fire Priestess frowned.
Who was this woman to call her a young old woman?
In the first place, attaching the word "young" to "old woman" was an oxymoron.
However, since the situation was so dire, she thought the words had slipped out in anger.
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un approached the Plundering-killing Sword that was stuck in the ground.
Dam Baek-ha tried to stop him.
"Hey. Stop right there."
"Yes?"
"I finally got that thing off this brat, and now you're going to grab it and do what?"
It was quite annoying to subdue even a relatively weak fellow.
If a guy who had exceeded the limits were to be captured by the demonic nature of the sword, even if only by chance, something terrible would happen.
Out of this concern, she was warning him not to grab it.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders and said,
"It's a waste to just leave it behind."
"A waste to leave it behind? Are you saying that now? In a situation where we don't even know if we can dig our way up, even if our nails break... What are you doing now?"
Dam Baek-ha looked at Mok Gyeong-un with an incomprehensible gaze.
That was because Mok Gyeong-un suddenly took something out of his bosom, placed it between his index and middle fingers, and abruptly rotated his hand in a circular motion.
She wondered what he was doing in this situation,
-Swish swish swish swish swish!
At that moment, smoke flowed out from the air, and space rippled, creating an entrance.
Seeing this, everyone couldn't hide their astonishment.
What kind of sorcery was this?
'!!!!!'
281: Chapter 280: Holy Fire Priestess (3)
Embroidered Uniform Guard Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo looked at someone with a slightly tense expression.
In front of him stood a middle-aged man with a strong impression and only a mustache, paying his respects.
Although he was clearly in a higher position, the pressure he exuded as one of the top five masters in the Imperial Palace was no ordinary matter.
He was none other than Hyun Soon, the Northern Pacification Commissioner, one of the two Pacification Commissioners who could be considered the pinnacle among the Embroidered Uniform Guard's field officers.
'He seems to be getting stronger.'
Sang Ik-seo had watched his growth since he joined the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
He had already surpassed him in strength long ago, but now he was incomparable.
It wasn't for nothing that he had become one of the top masters in the Imperial Palace.
-Murmur murmur!
The area behind Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon was chaotic.
A crowd of people wearing Embroidered Uniform Guard attire kept gathering, including Lesser Banners of junior 7th rank, Chief Banners of senior 7th rank, Probationary One Hundred-men Commanders of junior 6th rank, One Hundred-men Commanders of senior 6th rank, Deputy Thousand-men Commanders of junior 5th rank, Thousand-men Commanders of senior 5th rank, Six Offices Commanders of junior 4th rank, and Pacification Commissioners of senior 4th rank.
The reason they had gathered here was singular.
It was an emergency summons.
From the Associate Military Commissioner and above, they gained the authority to mobilize the Embroidered Uniform Guards in an emergency summons.
Here, mobilization didn't mean the complete entirety of the force.
Even if it was called mobilization, it excluded the Southern Pacification Commissioner who closely guarded His Majesty the Emperor, the First Office that guarded the Inner Palace and the Imperial Family, and the Fourth Office that was in charge of the Prisons.
However,
'... These Sixth Office bastards.'
Most of the Embroidered Uniform Guards had gathered, but only those from the Deputy Thousand-men Commander and below had come from the Sixth Office.
The Six Offices Commander of the Sixth Office, So Yerin, and the Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon did not come.
-Crunch!
'Now that this guy has escaped from the poison, is he refusing the emergency summons….. No, wait. Is he planning to stab me in the back along with Six Offices Commander So Yerin?'
If that was the case, it would become very troublesome.
Although he had escaped the poison thanks to Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom, who was from the same organization as the deceased Embroidered Uniform Guard One Hundred-men Commander Gyeom-chang, he still had the weakness of the human skin mask.
If an investigation were to be conducted with that, his position would be in jeopardy.
'Damn it.'
So he informed Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom about being caught with this weakness.
Then, Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom said,
[I will take care of the human skin mask. So, Associate Military Commissioner, pretend to be the Chief Eunuch Ho of the Western Depot and catch that person.]
[Catch that person, you say? But even Gyeom-chang was no match for him, so how...]
[I'm not telling you to catch him alone.]
[Don't tell me…]
[Issue an emergency summons for the Embroidered Uniform Guards. If we can deploy at least half of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's forces, we can catch him without difficulty.]
[That….. That may be true, but…..]
[We have sufficient justification. Since there is suspicion that the person close to Prince Gyeong is an imposter, no one will question or object to the emergency summons.]
For this reason, Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo had issued the emergency summons.
However, now that the masked Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon, who held his weakness, did not come, he hesitated on what to do.
It had to be one of two things.
Either they had read his moves and were trying to backstab him, or Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom was in the process of taking away his weakness from them, as he had boldly claimed.
If that was the case,
'We must hurry.'
In any case, both they and he had no choice but to make diversionary moves.
Trusting Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom and catching that fake Chief Eunuch Ho was the only way to resolve everything.
Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo looked at the gathered Embroidered Uniform Guards.
Nearly 60% of those in the Imperial Palace had gathered.
In terms of military strength, this was sufficient.
If they pressured that person with Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon at the forefront, they could sufficiently subdue him, no, kill him.
-Thud!
Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo raised his hand and spoke in a loud voice,
"It seems we don't have the luxury to wait for the leaders of the Sixth Offices. From now on, we will go to Prince Gyeong's Icy Palace to save His Highness!"
***
Like that, the Embroidered Uniform Guard forces led by Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo were heading towards Prince Gyeong's palace.
Originally, it was forbidden for a military group exceeding the designated number to enter the palace of the Imperial Family, but if it served the purpose of rescuing the Imperial Family, it was exceptionally allowed.
That was also why Defender-in-Chief Muk Seom had proposed this.
Before long, they had almost reached the vicinity of Icy Palace.
They just needed to pass the palace hall.
'We must kill him without fail.'
There was no need for subduing him.
Since they couldn't let him speak, as it would be dangerous, he had to issue an order to execute him.
Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo was about to give the order.
But right at that moment,
-Rumble rumble rumble!
"Wh-what?"
"The ground?"
The ground shook, and an earthquake occurred.
Startled by this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard forces stopped moving towards Icy Palace.
The sudden earthquake occurred throughout the entire Imperial Palace, causing roof tiles to fall, and it was utter chaos everywhere.
'What the hell is this?'
It was already frustrating that they had to hurry, but the earthquake made it even more difficult.
While wondering what was going on, red smoke was seen rising from somewhere.
The red smoke made the Embroidered Uniform Guards more agitated than the earthquake.
That was because the red smoke signified that a major incident had occurred in the underground Prison, and it was a red signal requesting assistance accordingly.
With this, the Six Offices Commanders approached and said,
"Elder Associate Commissioner. What should we do about this? Shouldn't we also send forces to the underground Prison by dividing the personnel?"
"That's right. The red signal means there was an escape attempt in the underground Prison."
At the opinions of these Six Offices Commanders, Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo's stomach churned.
'No, this is driving me crazy. The goal is right in front of us.'
To catch that guy, he needed all the current forces.
With only half, it was extremely unsettling.
However, he couldn't ignore the red signal from the underground Prison either.
Just as he was agonizing over what to do,
"Elder Associate Military Commissioner! Pacification Commissioner! Look over there!"
At that moment, a Thousand-men Commander from the Third Office raised his hand and pointed towards Icy Palace.
Wondering what was going on, he turned his head and saw Prince Gyeong standing on the roof of Icy Palace.
"It's His Highness Prince Gyeong."
"Why is His Highness on the roof?"
The Embroidered Uniform Guards couldn't hide their perplexity at Prince Gyeong's sudden action.
Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo was no exception.
His head was already messed up, and now that Prince Gyeong was on the roof in a precarious state, it felt like his head was about to explode.
"We must save His Highness."
At that moment, Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon tried to step forward.
They were right in front of the Icy Palace hall, so they couldn't ignore the danger to the Imperial Family member.
However, just as Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon was about to take a step forward,
"The Embroidered Uniform Guards are driving this king to his death!"
-Swish!
Prince Gyeong suddenly shouted those words and jumped off the roof.
"Oh no!"
-Thud!
In an instant, Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon used his lightness skill to the fullest to catch him somehow.
However, no matter how skilled he was and how outstanding his lightness skill was, there was a distance to catch him.
-Thud!
'!!!!!!!!!'
He missed him by just five steps.
Prince Gyeong, who had fallen head-first, had his neck twisted grotesquely and collapsed.
Blood flowed from Prince Gyeong's twisted body, dyeing the surrounding ground red.
Shocked by the sudden action followed by a sudden, no, the worst situation, Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were at a loss for words.
The one who was most speechless among them was Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
'Da-damn it...'
He had come to catch the fake supervisor of the Western Depot, but the situation had spiraled out of control.
The justification for issuing the emergency summons was to save Prince Gyeong, a member of the Imperial Family.
But he had died.
Moreover, as he jumped, he said that the Embroidered Uniform Guards had driven him to his death.
Sang Ik-seo sat down on the ground as if he had fallen into despair.
-Flinch! Swish!
At that moment, Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon, who had been examining the body of the deceased Prince Gyeong, half-drew the sword from the scabbard at his waist and looked around.
Northern Pacification Commissioner Hyun Soon, surveying the surroundings like that, couldn't understand.
Just a moment ago, he had felt something eerie from Prince Gyeong.
But it had disappeared in an instant.
'... What was that just now?'
There was a spirit body in the air watching him, who was puzzled like this.
She was none other than Cheong-ryeong, clicking her tongue while holding a long pipe.
-Not bad.
After absorbing the demonic energy of the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox, one of the Six Demons Kings, her spiritual energy had become almost Indigo-level sprit.
So even if it was someone who had surpassed the limits, she thought they wouldn't easily detect her spiritual energy, but he noticed it in an instant.
If her spiritual energy hadn't evolved further, she might have been discovered.
Cheong-ryeong flew upward.
-I did as that mortal brat told me to, but I wonder if this alone will be enough to divert attention.
***
Around the same time.
In one of the Imperial Palace's food storage warehouses, about fifty jang away from the entrance to the underground Prison.
This place, which stored dried seafood and such, had a particularly strong smell, so it had unusually low traffic unless one came to get food ingredients.
-Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
Due to the earthquake shaking the entire warehouse, someone got up from their spot and slightly opened the warehouse door.
-Creak!
And through the gap, they couldn't hide their astonishment at the red smoke they saw.
That was the red signal indicating that a major incident had occurred in the underground Prison.
When that smoke signal appeared, regardless of the reason, all the Embroidered Uniform Guards, except for the First Office, had to be dispatched, just like in an emergency summons.
-Thud!
Someone hurriedly closed the warehouse door.
He was none other than the masked Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon.
Ma Ra-hyeon was dumbfounded.
'Didn't they say they would quietly help them escape?'
The situation had become extremely complicated.
If the red signal had been raised, it was as good as confirming the fact that there was an escape from the underground Prison.
Ma Ra-hyeon walked to one side of the warehouse, frowning deeply at the seriousness of the situation.
It was no exaggeration to say that escape had become nearly impossible.
'How the hell are they going to come here?'
He had urgently searched and found a safe base for the escape because he was told to prepare one.
But it seemed that everything was about to be ruined.
The situation had become difficult.
In this case, should he go to the underground Prison for now, in response to the red signal?
Just as he was contemplating what to do,
-Thud!
At that moment, without sensing any presence, the warehouse door suddenly opened.
The startled Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon hurriedly hid his body between the stacked wooden crates in the warehouse.
Then, the opened warehouse door closed again.
'Who is it?'
Ma Ra-hyeon suppressed his presence to the maximum.
Judging from the fact that he couldn't feel the presence of the person who entered, they were clearly a tremendous master.
But then, he heard a sound as if something was being dragged.
-Ha….. Ha…..
The breathing was uneven.
It was the breathing of someone who had been injured.
At that moment, a voice was heard.
"Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon."
'!?'
At that voice, Ma Ra-hyeon couldn't hide his inner perplexity.
The owner of the voice was none other than his master, no, his superior, the leader of the Sixth Office, Six Offices Commander So Yerin.
Ma Ra-hyeon's eyes slightly trembled.
Why did she come to this place where he was?
While he was puzzled, Six Offices Commander So Yerin said,
"What the hell were you doing to be tracked by someone like this?"
'Tracked?'
What does that mean?
Wondering about it, he had no choice but to come out from between the dried seafood crates.
In front of So Yerin, who had her arms crossed, a person who seemed to be injured, with bruises on his face, was lying face down.
Judging by his attire, he was a low-ranking eunuch of the Eastern Depot.
'!?'
Was she saying that person had secretly followed him?
If he could hide his presence to that extent, he had to be either a trained person or a master one level above him.
However, based on his breathing and energy, he wasn't a master one level above him.
At that moment, Six Offices Commander So Yerin, who had her arms crossed, spoke.
"Thousand-men Commander Ma. What the hell are you doing?"
"...…"
"An emergency summons was issued by the Associate Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guards. So I went to get you and accidentally discovered this person following you. What are you hiding from me?"
At her words filled with suspicion, Ma Ra-hyeon was at a loss.
The reason he had come here was to help a prisoner from the underground Prison escape.
Therefore, he couldn't reveal this fact.
-Tap tap tap!
Six Offices Commander So Yerin approached him with a cold expression.
Although she trusted Ma Ra-hyeon, who was her deputy and almost like her disciple, taking such secretive actions without informing her of anything was an act of betraying that trust.
Feeling the disappointment from her, Ma Ra-hyeon hesitated on what to do.
"If you don't tell the truth….."
Before she could finish her sentence,
-Swish swish swish!
At that moment, the space right next to them rippled, and suddenly, smoke rose, creating a round entrance.
'!!!!!!'
At the sudden bizarre phenomenon, the heads of Six Offices Commander So Yerin and Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon simultaneously turned towards it.
The eyes of the two people who turned widened.
What the hell was this?
Why did such an entrance suddenly appear in the warehouse?
As Six Offices Commander So Yerin was puzzled by this incomprehensible phenomenon, her expression hardened.
It was because of the people she saw beyond the entrance.
'Prisoners?'
Although she had never been assigned to the Fourth Office and had never entered the underground Prison, as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, she was familiar with the prisoners' attire.
Two of them were wearing prisoners' uniforms, and the one unconscious over there was…..
"Joo Woonhyang?"
Trainee Joo Woonhyang.
And the one holding something strange between his index and middle fingers at the entrance was Trainee Ahn Jong-hu.
Seeing these two, she could instinctively be certain.
Although it was hard to believe, this mysterious entrance made of smoke seemed to be connected to the Imperial Palace's underground Prison.
Because she knew that both of them had entered as apprentices of the Fourth Office, which was in charge of the Prison this time.
At that moment, Trainee Ahn Jong-hu, who was standing in front of the entrance, alternately looked at Ma Ra-hyeon and So Yerin and spoke,
-Did Thousand-men Commander Ma bring that person?
'!?'
The moment he heard the transmitted sound ringing in his ears, Ma Ra-hyeon realized that Trainee Ahn Jong-hu was Mok Gyeong-un.
Because of this, Ma Ra-hyeon's mind became complicated for a moment.
Not only did he change his face again, but was this what he meant when he said he could escape from the underground Prison?
Right then,
-Swish!
Six Offices Commander So Yerin drew her sword from the scabbard at her waist, aimed it at Mok Gyeong-un, who had the face of Trainee Ahn Jong-hu, and said,
"What the hell are you doing right now?"
At her words, Mok Gyeong-un looked at Ma Ra-hyeon's reaction and let out a soft sigh.
Judging by his vigilant appearance, it seemed he hadn't intentionally brought her.
Having this woman involved was somewhat annoying, but there was no choice.
They had to cross the entrance first.
This treasure he was holding between his fingers was something he had received from Yeo Su-rin, the disciple of Scarlet-Tailed Old Immortal, the master of Harmonious Immortal Pavilion, one of the two most mysterious pavilions among the Sixty-Four Pavilions of Diviners.
This treasure, which he had won in a bet, was a useful item that created a door to a desired location within a radius of about two hundred jang, but only once.
However, while it was very useful, it was a one-time use.
So they had to quickly cross to the other side before it closed.
-Swish swish swish!
Seeing the entrance gradually becoming unstable, it seemed they had to hurry.
With this, Mok Gyeong-un pulled out the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword, which was stuck in front of the entrance, and gestured towards the Holy Fire Priestess and the Nine Blood Cult's Sixth Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha behind him, saying,
"For now, let's hurry and cross before the door closes."
Of course, he altered his voice.
Six Offices Commander So Yerin thought he had died after being ambushed while injured at the medicine house.
There was no point in letting her know he was alive.
However,
-Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
At that moment, the demonic energy of the Plundering-killing Sword surged, trying to erode Mok Gyeong-un.
Mok Gyeong-un's eyebrows raised at the demonic energy, which was much stronger than expected.
To this extent, it was far more severe than the Evil Commandment Sword.
Because of this, Mok Gyeong-un had no choice but to draw upon his demonic energy to avoid being eroded by the sword's demonic energy and suppress it.
However, the moment he drew upon his demonic energy,
-Clang!
A sword flew at him like lightning, and Mok Gyeong-un hurriedly pulled out the Plundering-killing Sword to block it.
The one who had swung the sword was none other than Six Offices Commander So Yerin.
So Yerin spoke with a stiffened face,
".... You were alive?"
Her energy perception was very sensitive, so she accurately remembered the energy she had experienced before.
For her, revealing a unique energy like demonic energy was no different from revealing his own identity.
At her words, Mok Gyeong-un scratched his head as if he was in a predicament.
"Ah, I unintentionally got caught."
"How did you..."
"More importantly, I don't have time, so I think you should step aside."
-Boom!
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un infused demonic energy into the Plundering-killing Sword, creating a repulsive force, and flung Six Offices Commander So Yerin away along with her sword.
-Swish swish swish swish swish!
Pushed back about six steps by the sudden strong repulsive force, her eyes wavered.
'This guy.... His martial power has increased.'
It wasn't just a matter of increasing.
It had been enhanced to an incomparable extent compared to when she had fought him.
Not only was the person she thought had died actually alive, but what the hell had happened in just a few days?