Chapter 68 True Meaning (1)

Inside a room with walls covered in talismans and numerous ritual instruments.

A white-haired Taoist priest who had been meditating with his eyes closed inside a formation of candles arranged in the direction of the five elements opened his eyes.

‘!?’

Shaking pupils.

The sharp-featured white-haired Taoist priest couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

‘It can’t be.’

The white-haired Taoist priest, gripped by a bad feeling, got up from his seat.

Then he left the room and walked down the corridor.

The feeling just now was the backlash that should have returned when the spell he had set up was broken.

But that couldn’t be.

‘Even if the gu poison was completed, it couldn’t have broken this chief’s technique.’

Eventually, the white-haired Taoist priest stood in front of a door.

The priest opened the door.

The expression of the priest who opened the door stiffened.

On the floor of the room was drawn what seemed to be a formation for a barrier, and inside it was a thick jar with a talisman attached and chains tied to it.

However,

• • Tremble tremble!

As if anger had surged, the white-haired old man’s beard trembled violently.

And for good reason, as the talisman attached to the candle was torn off and the chains were severed.

The old man approached closely and grabbed the severed chains with trembling hands.

Then he closed his eyes and chanted a spell.

“*************.”

• • Tremble tremble!

The chains shook violently.

‘Just what happened? Show me the reason.’

• • Swish swish!

Something was drawn in the mind of the old man with his eyes closed.

It was the process of countless vengeful spirits devouring each other and transforming.

On the days when the Corpse Blood Valley was conducted, he checked this periodically two or three times a day to see if there were any problems.

Wasn’t it just like that until now?

But what on earth happened?

At that moment, something completely black was seen approaching the gu poison that was being completed.

“************!”

‘Show me. Just what is it?’

He needed to know what variable had occurred.

As he infused more spell power through the incantation like that,

• • Crack!

At that moment, blood flowed from the old man’s left eye, and the broken chains he was holding completely turned to powder and scattered.

The old man momentarily staggered and was pushed back.

‘…’

What was that just now?

Something vicious covered in the qi of death intervened with the gu poison that was being completed.

It definitely wasn’t an oddity in the form of a dead soul like a vengeful spirit.

In that case,

‘Did a man-eating beast break through the talisman barrier of the cliff and enter?’

The old man wiped the blood tears flowing down with his sleeve.

If it was a man-eating beast that could break the talisman of the cliff and touch a vengeful spirit that had transformed and risen in grade to that extent, even though it wasn’t complete, it would surpass a monstrous beast.

‘Could it be that a demonic beast or a devil beast appeared?’

No.

A devil beast was too much.

If it had reached that level, he would have noticed it right away no matter how far the distance was.

If a devil beast appeared here, even if it was a martial sect, the sacrifice would have been considerable.

• • Grr!

But even if it wasn’t that level of grade, he couldn’t contain his anger.

The gu poison that he had been trying to slowly complete over a span of 15 years had turned to foam in an instant.

• • Bang!

The old man roughly pushed open the door and left the building, passing through the corridor.

Someone was seen kneeling there.

It was none other than diviner Jo Ui-gong.

As the old man emerged, Jo Ui-gong raised his head with a delighted face.

“Master, no, Pavilion Master!”

The sharp-featured white-haired old man.

He was In Seo-ok, the master of the Primal Killing, which was in charge of sorcery consultation under the Heaven and Earth Society.

And he was also Jo Ui-gong’s master and a Sun-level, one of only fourteen sorcerers who had reached the highest level of sorcery.

Excluding the Six Directions supreme-ruler, who was called the pinnacle among the Divine Sun Moon Technique, he was a skilled practitioner who was unrivaled by anyone in sorcery.

“Pavilion Master. Are you reporting this to the sect leader?”

At Jo Ui-gong’s question, Pavilion Master In Seo-ok shook his head with a terrifyingly stiff face.

At this, Jo Ui-gong couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Among the talents he had seen so far, that guy was the best.

That’s why he was trying to get him out of the Corpse Blood Valley no matter what, even by requesting the pavilion master.

But it wasn’t that his mind had changed.

‘Ahh…’

While that was happening, In Seo-ok said:

“That’s not the problem right now.”

“… What do you mean by that?”

“A high-grade man-eating beast sprinkled ashes on the fully cooked rice.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“This chief’s Spirit supreme-ruler Gu Poison Technique has been broken.”

‘!!!!’

Diviner Jo Ui-gong couldn’t hide his shock.

The Spirit supreme-ruler Gu Poison Technique was something his master and chief In Seo-ok had devoted himself to for a whole 15 years, wasn’t it?

“How can such a thing happen? No matter how much of a man-eating beast it is, breaking through the Chief’s barrier and entering…”

“It means it’s above a demonic beast.”

“A demonic beast!”

A man-eating beast that surpasses the grade of a vicious beast and a monstrous beast.

Even a monstrous beast requires at least sorcery to deal with, but if it’s a demonic beast beyond that, it would be difficult to handle even for a sorcerer who has received the title of Bangwol, depending on the type.

‘Wait a moment, the cliff valley where the Spirit supreme-ruler Gu Poison Technique is being performed…’

It was adjacent to the Corpse Blood Valley.

Even if the Spirit supreme-ruler Gu Poison Technique wasn’t broken, if a demonic beast appeared on that mountain, it was a situation that couldn’t be left unchecked.

Pavilion Master In Seo-ok clicked his tongue and said:

“Immediately prepare talismans and ritual instruments and get ready to go to the Corpse Blood Valley.”

At his master’s order, diviner Jo Ui-gong thought to himself that it was fortunate.

Although his master was upset because the Spirit supreme-ruler Gu Poison Technique was broken, this could be used as a justification to stop the barriers of the Corpse Blood Valley.

***

Mok Gyeong-un entered reverse cycling to absorb the remaining death qi here.

Seeing him like this, the eyes of Gyu Soha, who had become his new supreme-ruler of gluttony, gleamed with interest.

And for good reason, as in Gyu Soha’s ghostly eyes, Mok Gyeong-un’s qi was not circulating normally but in reverse.

Not only that, he was circulating the qi of death, not the qi of yang or life.

‘Is the Master really a living human?’

That had been a question all along anyway.

It was a strange thing for a human to accept that tremendous death qi and still be fine like this.

Gyu Soha glanced to the side.

Cheong-ryeong was sitting leisurely on a large rock, smoking a long pipe.

At this, Gyu Soha carefully approached and opened her mouth.

– Ahem. Excuse me…

– Excuse me? Hmph! Call me Eo…

As she was about to tell the girl to call her “–Eoreushin” (respectful term for an elder), Cheong-ryeong stared intently at Soha and snorted, saying:

• • Just call me -Eonni (older sister).

Whether she was a green spirit or whatever, it was quite embarrassing to be called “Eoreushin” by that young wench.

Of course, even calling her “Eonni” had a huge gap in years and grade.

However,

– This…

– This what? Are you going to impudently blurt out “This young master” again?

– This one is a man… -yo.

– … If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll just annihilate you whether that guy made you his supreme-ruler of gluttony or not.

– No. This one is…

Cheong-ryeong raised her long pipe with a snap.

At this, Gyu Soha tightly closed her eyes and raised both hands upward.

Although her half-white hair was peculiar, anyone would see her as a girl of about fifteen.

– Don’t talk nonsense in front of me. Tsk! If you utter one more word about being a man or whatever, I won’t show any mercy.

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and waved her hand as if telling her to scram.

In the end, Soha couldn’t even ask what she wanted to ask and couldn’t regain her pride.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un opened his eyes as if he had finished absorbing all the qi.

“Phew.”

– Did you absorb everything?

“Yes. Gathering the remaining qi was quite a lot.”

Gathering all the death qi remaining on the cliff, he was able to collect at least as much as killing about fifty people.

It could be said to be much more efficient than hunting around the entire mountain.

‘The qi has stabilized to some extent.’

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue inwardly while looking at Mok Gyeong-un.

He finally made that much death qi his own through reverse cycling.

The level of his middle and lower danjeon had almost reached the perfection of the peak in terms of internal energy, surpassing it to reach the extreme.

‘It’s absurd.’

The order was completely messed up.

He had almost no understanding or enlightenment about qi, so he didn’t even know how to handle sword qi or explosive force, but his internal energy level had reached the extreme of the peak.

This was also due to the strange profound principle of the Eight Forms of Thought Destruction.

‘… It’s like having the internal energy of the extreme peak doubled. However, in the case of the middle danjeon, since it can only be obtained after surpassing the wall, its potential is also unknown.’

Right now, even she had difficulty definitively determining Mok Gyeong-un’s exact level.

She was certainly curious.

Just how high-level experts this guy could handle.

While that was happening, Mok Gyeong-un asked:

“How much time has passed?”

– Uh… Since the Master has been here…

– If you’re asking how much time is left until dawn, there’s not even an hour left. At most, about three-quarters?

Interrupting Gyu Soha’s words, Cheong-ryeong spoke.

At her words, Mok Gyeong-un looked up at the night sky.

Indeed, the sky that had been completely dark had somehow changed to a pale indigo color.

“Hmm.”

Contrary to the plan, it seemed he had wasted a lot of time here.

Of course, even so, it wasn’t a loss.

He had collected several times more death qi than killing the boys searching for flags, and he had even gained a green spirit with powerful strength.

However, there wasn’t much time left now.

Mok Gyeong-un licked his lips.

“It’s unfortunate.”

– What is?

“I was trying to leave only seven, but three quarters of an hour is too tight.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue.

Anyway, his ideas were different.

Originally, the purpose was to secure more death qi, but now it seemed that it wasn’t just that, but also to drastically reduce the total number of people.

Cheong-ryeong, who had been clicking her tongue, said:

– Instead of that, you should find the flag and teammates first.

If he was simply looking for a flag, it would be fine, but he had to find the one with the other half of the sword technique mnemonic written on it.

If he was unlucky, he might only find flags with the same mnemonics.

And he also needed guys who were worth accepting as teammates.

So he had to hurry.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un took something out of his bosom.

– What are you doing when you’re busy?

“I have to insert it again.”

What Mok Gyeong-un took out was none other than the needles of the Golden Gate Lock that he had removed from the acupoints of his spine.

If he didn’t insert them again, it would arouse suspicion.

– I can do that for you.

“Pardon?”

• • Whoosh!

As soon as the questioning ended, Cheong-ryeong lightly waved her hand.

Then the needles of the Golden Gate Lock on Mok Gyeong-un’s palm flew and simultaneously pierced the meridian points on his spine.

• • Puck puck puck!

“Hiss.”

Inserting the needles was painful, just like removing them.

It hurts to insert even one, but inserting them simultaneously like this, even Mok Gyeong-un, who had strong endurance for pain, couldn’t help but let out a loud breath.

Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong spoke with a satisfied expression:

– I can do this much for you, although a tool is needed to remove them. But you…

Cheong-ryeong’s gaze turned towards Mok Gyeong-un’s chest.

That was near where his middle danjeon was located.

Unlike the lower danjeon that was cut off and scattered when the meridians were blocked, the middle danjeon was still alive.

***

Like that, after quarter an hour,

Mok Gyeong-un discovered a group that had secured a flag.

There were exactly eight of them, and they seemed to have successfully defended the flag a couple of times, as the corpses of nine boys were scattered around.

A boy who recognized Mok Gyeong-un immediately laughed and said upon discovering him:

“Hey. Where did you sell your teammates and why are you wandering alone?”

“Hahahahaha.”

“That’s right.”

At his question, the teammates with him all sneered in unison.

They showed this attitude because they were confident that Mok Gyeong-un alone couldn’t handle them as dawn was not far away.

After laughing together like that, the boy who provoked Mok Gyeong-un waved his hands and said:

“We’re full here, so get lost.”

“You’re full here.”

“Are you deaf? I said get lost quickly. Ah, right. There’s only about two ke left until dawn, so I don’t know if you can even find a group worth accepting…”

• • Thud!

“Urk!”

• • Thump!

At that moment, the boy collapsed in the middle of his speech.

Mok Gyeong-un was in a posture of having thrown something, and a rock was embedded in the center of the boy’s face.

He seemed to have died instantly after being hit by it.

“Wh-what is this…”

“How is this possible when we can’t even use internal energy?”

The boys who were the boy’s teammates couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

Who would have imagined that he would kill a teammate just by throwing a mere rock?

While that was happening, Mok Gyeong-un raised the corners of his mouth and smirked.

“Oh dear… A spot opened up in your group.”