novelraw Chapter 99 : Entry into the Tiger’s Den (4)
Chapter 99 : Entry into the Tiger’s Den (4)
Chapter 99: Entry into the Tiger’s Den (4)
Everyone prepared to set out.
Jin Geonmu wiped the edge of his spear with a cloth and said,
“Since we’ve decided to head for the Heavenly Sound Cult, make sure you’re well-prepared. Saying ‘oops’ later won’t help.”
Yeon Sohye drew her dagger and held it up toward the sunlight. The blade flashed. As she sharpened it on the whetstone, she murmured,
“Preparation? You mean just tending to our weapons?”
Jin Geonmu checked the scars on his spear, then bound them tightly with rope.
Jang Unhyeok also drew his twin blades one by one, inspecting the blade surfaces. He checked that no traces of blood remained, that the grease from cutting through flesh was wiped clean, and gave them a few light swings in the air.
“There’s a route I used back in my Intelligence Division days.”
He said this as he swung his twin blades.
“If we take that path, we’ll reach the Heavenly Sound Cult in a day. I’ve used it before when I was still with the Division.”
Jin Geonmu tilted his head with a skeptical look.
“You think the Heavenly Sound Cult doesn’t know you betrayed them? You think they’d just leave that road alone? If I were them, I’d have erased that route immediately—or filled it with ambushes.”
Whoosh!
Jin Geonmu also swung his spear.
“Wouldn’t the route I used be better? Hunters used to take it—it’s rough, but quiet.”
Jang Unhyeok’s expression darkened.
“They already know you turned sides too.”
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. Gugwi looked down at the map and cut in.
“Hmm! Let’s take the Chief’s route. If it’s blocked, we’ll deal with it then. If we head into the mountains, the Assassins of Death will latch onto us.”
“Ah! You’re right. Maybe they’ve established communication networks with the mountain folk?”
Yeon Sohye looked at Jang Unhyeok.
“Could be. The Inspection Corps, after all. Hunting down and killing traitors is their job.”
She slid her dagger back into its sheath and said,
“Then let’s do as Gugwi says and take the route the Chief knows. If there’s an ambush, we can change course then.”
“I’ll take the lead.”
Jang Unhyeok sheathed his twin blades and stood up.
After walking roughly ten ri along the mountain path, the morning sun rose.
Jang Unhyeok led the way while Gugwi probed the surroundings through his Spirit Flow Core. There were no signs of ambush or pursuit.
“Let’s eat breakfast here.”
Jang Unhyeok chose a slightly wider area.
Yeon Sohye immediately cast the Silver Spirit Illusion. A silver mist enveloped the group, erasing all traces of their presence.
“Captain, you should rest too. We’ll move again in about one shijin.”
“One shijin?”
Jang Unhyeok warned,
“The Heavenly Sound Cult’s outer perimeter is heavily guarded. They use dogs to control movement. There’s no way to infiltrate during the morning hours. Kill a few of those bastards, and you’ll trigger every trap they have.”
“So we leave after lunch?”
“That’s the plan.”
Jang Unhyeok efficiently prepared breakfast. In fact, the spot he’d chosen had emergency rations hidden there.
After eating, they began ascending the rugged mountain path again.
Though narrow and strewn with rocks, Jang Unhyeok led them along the most passable trail.
“This route lets us avoid their patrol lines.”
By midday, they reached a ruined village. Broken altars and stones engraved with spiritual symbols were scattered about.
“What’s this? A shaman village?”
Yeon Sohye casually stepped forward.
Jang Unhyeok grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her back. Then he grinned playfully at Gugwi.
“Boss, what do you think?”
At Jang Unhyeok’s words, Gugwi scanned the village.
Strangely, his Spirit Flow Core showed no response. For a village like this, he should have felt a cold tremor deep in his chest.
Shhhhhh—!
An unpleasant energy drifted from the village—the kind usually found in places haunted by lingering spirits.
“There’s nothing here. Is it a trap?”
“As expected.”
Jang Unhyeok raised his thumb.
“This place… is the trap?”
Yeon Sohye looked at the village in surprise.
“There’s a surveillance group called Cheonwaecheon under the Heavenly Sound Cult. They’re composed of Spirit Summoners—those guys just sit around all day. One of them obtained a Spirit Union Martial Artist here.”
“Then…”
“If we disturb this place, that Spirit Union Martial Artist will react. Then those Cheonwaecheon bastards will know. Heh! The Yeongbi Pavilion already knows this, but apparently they didn’t share the info with the Dark Blood Unit.”
“The Dark Blood Unit wouldn’t have any reason to enter this land anyway.”
Yeon Sohye shook her head as she looked at the village.
But… Jang Unhyeok’s words made Jin Geonmu’s face flush red with anger.
“I’ve been using villages like this as rest stops… so they’ve been tracking my movements this whole time?”
“Pretty much. They let it slide since you’re one of the Ten Wolf Generals.”
“Those bastards!”
Jin Geonmu gripped his spear tightly.
As night fell, the group rested inside a cave.
“Tomorrow we enter the Heavenly Sound Cult. Rest well tonight—you won’t get another chance to relax after this.”
Jang Unhyeok lay down early.
“Do you still hear the Manifest Demon Emperor’s whispers?”
Yeon Sohye asked Gugwi.
“Yeah. He keeps saying to give him my strength, to join him.”
Gugwi nodded solemnly.
“If only I could share your burden… It must be hard carrying it alone.”
Her tone was filled with genuine concern.
“It’s not that hard. If I dwell on the pain, it’ll never end. I just try to stay calm. I have a way to end the Manifest Demon Emperor for good. Both now and later—I have the advantage.”
“Self-sacrifice.”
Yeon Sohye understood what Gugwi meant. It was what the Cloud Flow Sect Leader and Gugwi’s father had once demanded. But she didn’t speak it aloud.
There was nothing she could say in reply to his words.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and soon a downpour began. Raindrops struck the rocks with a loud clatter.
“There!”
Jang Unhyeok pointed.
Halfway up a cliff, the entrance to a cave came into view.
The group hurried to take shelter inside. The cave was damp and smelled of mold, but it was enough to keep them dry.
Huuuuum…
From deep within the cave came faint moans. Jin Geonmu couldn’t hear them—but they were the voices of Stray Spirits. In every place where people had died, such sounds always lingered.
Gugwi activated his Spirit Flow Core.
A blue light spread outward, enveloping the Stray Spirits. Their agonized groans gradually turned calm.
“Rest in peace…”
With Gugwi’s whisper, the spirits faded away into the light.
“You can’t possibly guide every stray soul in the world. And that’s not what the Spirit Flow Core is meant to be used for.”
Jang Unhyeok spoke.
Yeon Sohye smiled faintly and changed the subject.
“At least this rain will wash away our tracks.”
Sensing her mood, Jang Unhyeok brought up an old story.
“When I was very young, I once took shelter from the rain and ended up in a bandits’ den.”
A laugh flickered in his eyes.
“They were all grumbling—‘Isn’t there a single fool wandering by today?’ I was hiding in a corner, trembling like a leaf.”
“Haha! And then what happened?”
Jin Geonmu laughed and asked.
“The bandits started fighting each other, trying to prove who was stronger. I escaped while they were distracted.”
Everyone burst into laughter. It was a trivial story, but it eased the tension.
An hour later, something strange appeared.
“What’s that?”
Where Yeon Sohye pointed stood an enormous bone embedded in the ground. It looked like a dragon’s skeleton—but even larger.
Jang Unhyeok approached and examined it.
“No idea. There are a lot of these bones around here. Some say they’re remains of ancient Spirit Beasts. Back in the old ages, this area was said to be the sea—could be whale bones, for all we know.”
“Spirit Beasts?”
“Beasts that lived thousands of years ago.”
However, Gugwi sensed something unusual from the massive bone.
Paaang!
His Spirit Flow Core reacted. Though said to be thousands of years old, a faint spiritual energy still seeped from the bone.
‘A soul still remains? That’s impossible…’
Gugwi placed his hand on the bone. In that instant, an illusion unfolded before his eyes.
A massacre from a thousand years ago—
The Dark Spirit Sect, invoking the name of the Manifest Demon Emperor, had slaughtered countless people. Their vengeful cries. The Spirit Beast’s bone, towering before their eyes. The image of the Manifest Demon Emperor like a devil, and the screams of death.
“There was a great massacre here—one committed by the Dark Spirit Sect.”
Gugwi spoke as he touched the bone of the Spirit Beast.
“A massacre? Then this is also a sacrificial altar?”
“Not an altar… just a site of slaughter. People believed this bone belonged to the Manifest Demon Emperor—and died believing that.”
Gugwi’s voice trembled with shock.
“So that’s why this mountain feels so sinister.”
Yeon Sohye looked around once more, her expression somber.
“Being a Spirit Summoner… it’s really not easy. Sometimes I think it’s better to feel nothing at all. To touch a bone and relive a massacre from centuries ago—phew!”
Jin Geonmu shook his head with a sigh.
Before long, they reached the border of the Heavenly Sound Cult.
A black fence inscribed with Spirit Command Symbols came into view.
Yeon Sohye deployed the Silver Spirit Illusion. A silver mist enveloped the four of them.
The symbols began to react, but Gugwi formed a Spiritless Zone, blocking the detection. Blue waves spread out, nullifying the sigils.
Jang Unhyeok explained,
“You recognize these symbols now, right? They detect intruders.”
“Is this also the work of Cheonwaecheon?”
“Those poor bastards. They call themselves watchers, but they’re actually Spirit Summoners being bred by the Heavenly Sound Cult. If you see them in person… it’s a pitiful sight.”
After carefully crossing the boundary, the group took a brief rest. Everyone looked exhausted.
Then—
A fierce howl echoed through the night.
Awooooo!
Wild wolves appeared.
But they were no ordinary wolves. Their eyes glowed red, and black drool dripped from their mouths. They were Souls Transformed into Spirits—meaning these wolves… were invisible to Jin Geonmu’s eyes.
Paaang!
Gugwi moved to perform Soul Purification.
But Jang Unhyeok swiftly stepped forward and grabbed his arm before he could finish. His action came before his words.
“Don’t!”
Gugwi stopped the Soul Purification. His gaze asked, Why?
“They’re linked. You know how Soul Transformation works—it’s connected through Blood Orbs. If they die, the Blood Orbs die with them. The red light turns black, and then someone’s bound to notice.”
“The Heavenly Sound Cult is using Soul Transformation on a massive scale… even on beasts. Whoever’s behind this must be powerful. The Lord of the Twelve True Armies, perhaps?”
“I don’t know.”
Jang Unhyeok shook his head.
Swish—
Gugwi lightly extended the Spiritless Zone, just enough to keep the wolves from approaching. Or rather, to make them too uneasy to come closer.
Awwooooo!
The wolves howled again and retreated into the forest.
Kieeeek!
From high above came a shrill cry—half bird’s screech, half human scream.
Jang Unhyeok’s face stiffened.
“It’s a Hawk Spirit.”
“Hawk Spirit?”
“A reconnaissance spirit created by the Heavenly Sound Cult. They bind the souls of mountain hawks and force them into servitude.”
A black shadow swooped across the sky. It was a massive hawk, but its wings were translucent—it was a spirit. The Hawk Spirit circled above, scanning the ground below.
“Have we been spotted?”
Yeon Sohye asked in a tense voice.
“No. If it had seen something, it would’ve pursued it relentlessly. Since it flew elsewhere, we’re safe.”
“The same rules apply to it, right? If we destroy it, we’ll be discovered.”
“Exactly. Just a faint disturbance—nothing more. We can’t risk exposure.”
Jang Unhyeok spoke.
Following his words, Gugwi spread the Spiritless Zone ever so slightly. The Hawk Spirit wavered in confusion and then flew away.
“The presence of a Hawk Spirit means the Heavenly Sound Cult’s martial artists are nearby. From now on, we must be even more careful.”
Finally, as they climbed over a hill, the outer walls of the Heavenly Sound Cult came into sight.
A black fortress wall stretched across the mountain range.
Above it floated towers filled with spirits, each one pulsing with a red glow.
“That’s the Hall of the Forgotten Souls.”
Jang Unhyeok pointed toward the highest tower.
“All the information of the Heavenly Sound Cult is stored there.”
Gugwi murmured quietly,
“At last…”
The four of them stood side by side, gazing at the territory of the Heavenly Sound Cult spread out before them.
Darkness blanketed the mountains. The wind blew like the wailing of lost souls, and the shadows of the trees danced menacingly.
“We infiltrate at dawn.”
Gugwi said.