Chapter 185

The horsemen guarding the outer passage glanced briefly toward the flickering torches of their retreating comrades. When the lights vanished, they turned back to each other and resumed their idle chatter.

“Did you see the size of that leopard earlier?”

“Yeah, it was as big as a tiger.”

“Do you think that bastard Joo-gwi might have gotten swallowed whole by that leopard?”

“Come on, no way. Even the top dogs wouldn’t be eaten by some lowly creature.”

“Who knows? Maybe he was drunk and just got gulped down clean. Heh heh heh!”

Just then—

Beeeep!

Something suddenly flew down the passage.

“Huh?!”

“What the—?!”

Their eyes widened in shock as they focused on the source. It was a small bird, softly glowing with a pale purple light.

“W-what is that?!”

“No way!”

The bird darted so fast it was almost invisible, twisting sharply mid-flight before vanishing like a wisp near the entrance.

The stunned horsemen stared after it, murmuring in disbelief.

“D-did you see that? I’m not the only one, right?”

“Yeah, I saw it too. It looked like some kind of glowing bird.”

“Me too. What is that, some kind of spirit creature?”

“First a black leopard the size of a tiger shows up, and now a glowing bird? What kind of omen is this?”

As they whispered among themselves, another sound reached their ears.

Grrrrrr.

“Huh?!”

Again, from the passage.

Startled, they whipped their heads around—and saw two enormous green eyes glaring at them.

“That thing?!”

“It’s the same one from before!”

The massive black leopard, tiger-sized and glowing with fierce green eyes, was prowling closer.

The horsemen tensed and shouted.

“What the hell?! Where did the others go?!”

“Let’s catch it! Two of you, go!”

Two of the four remaining horsemen lunged toward the black leopard.

“I’ll go!”

“Me too!”

Snap!

But only one actually charged forward.

Swish! Thud! Swish!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

From the shadows behind them, three figures suddenly emerged like ghosts, swiftly taking down each horseman.

While the horsemen’s attention was drawn by a faintly released phoenix illusion, Sun Woo-jin, Seol Poong, and Bi Sa-young had silently crept behind them.

The charging horseman sensed something was wrong and glanced back.

“Huh?!”

In that instant, he saw his comrades already turned into restless spirits.

Panicked, he tried to shout.

“Hey…! Ugh!”

But before he could, Jeong Chil’s dagger and Ya Un-hyang’s whip struck first.

Whirl!

The whip wrapped around his mouth as Jeong Chil’s dagger pierced the back of his neck.

Thud!

He couldn’t even cry out before collapsing lifelessly.

With four enemies swiftly and cleanly dealt with, Sun Woo-jin quietly pointed toward the passage and then at the entrance.

The others nodded and quickly dragged the bodies into the cave, hiding them from sight.

At last, the outer passage guards were eliminated, and it was time to move inward.

Sun Woo-jin glanced toward the entrance, recalling what No Je-eok had said earlier.

“So this is the middle section, huh?”

According to No Je-eok, the Mu Hwang Tomb was divided into three layers: the outer, middle, and inner sections.

The trap-filled passage they had just crossed was the outer layer; beyond the entrance lay the middle section.

But the two men and women that the Black Blood Demon Du Dang had taken were said to be even deeper, in the inner section—not the middle.

The mention of two people instead of three, and the name Black Blood Demon Du Dang, sent a chill through Sun Woo-jin’s heart.

Still, there was no choice.

They had to infiltrate the inner section and rescue their comrades.

Focusing his senses, Sun Woo-jin confirmed no one was nearby, then spoke quietly.

“As you heard earlier, inside there are about seventy peak-level masters, five ultra-peak masters, and the Black Blood Demon Du Dang, ranked first among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars.”

This was the information No Je-eok had shared, which Muk-rang had confirmed as true.

Though everyone already knew, hearing it again darkened their expressions.

The enemy’s strength was overwhelming.

Seventy peak masters, five ultra-peak masters, and the top-ranked among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars—what organization could possibly muster such a force in one place?

The Heavenly Demon Sect? The Martial Alliance? The Four Kings? Aside from those three, even the Great Sect of the Nine Gates probably wouldn’t field such numbers.

Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly, trying to lighten the mood.

“No need to be so gloomy. We’re not going in to fight them—we’re here to steal our comrades back. You know what they say: ten hands can’t catch one thief. Besides, it’s a blessing that Baek Myeon Si-ma Gu U-jeol, who usually guards here, isn’t around.”

That was true.

The group nodded, steeling their resolve.

They all knew that losing heart would mean failure.

Sun Woo-jin felt grateful that no one suggested retreat, even Jeong Chil, who usually grumbled, now burned with genuine determination.

With a serious gaze, Sun Woo-jin addressed them again.

“Then let’s go in. Remember, our safety is paramount. If things get out of hand, everyone must retreat individually and prioritize survival. After losing the enemy, regroup at the ruined passage where Da-kam will be waiting.”

Everyone nodded.

Sun Woo-jin finally declared,

“Let’s enter.”

Leading the way, he stepped through the entrance into the middle section, still flanked by the black leopard.

Muk-rang suddenly spoke up.

“Hoh! This place is completely different from the outer section. Very well-built architecture.”

Sun Woo-jin glanced at the walls and passage again.

Even he, a layman, could see the stone walls were neatly constructed.

The ceiling was studded with regularly spaced night-glow stones, and torches hung along the walls, bathing the corridor in bright light.

At a glance, it seemed even better built than the Guangjian Tomb they had seen before.

Muk-rang continued admiring the craftsmanship.

“Balance, harmony, durability—all perfect. This doesn’t look like something the Blood Sect built. Maybe they just added the outer section to an existing structure.”

“That’s possible,” Sun Woo-jin replied, focusing again on sensing any nearby presence.

Whether Muk-rang was right or not didn’t matter much now.

Still, Muk-rang muttered to himself.

“An original structure… The architectural style feels familiar. And it’s called Mu Hwang Tomb, huh? Hmm…”

Sun Woo-jin ignored the murmurs and followed the mental map he’d sketched out.

“Straight through the first four-way passage, then left at the next.”

He had gotten detailed information about the interior layout from No Je-eok earlier.

Not just memorized, but mentally mapped, thanks to his excellent memory and spatial awareness.

Suddenly, Sun Woo-jin raised his palm, signaling a halt.

He quickly sent a silent message.

Stop! Several horsemen moving ahead. We’ll wait until they pass.

About fifty meters down the passage, four or five peak-level horsemen were moving.

They had to wait for them to pass.

They could have fought and won easily, but that was not an option.

Any commotion might attract more enemies, dooming the mission.

“They’re not coming this way. Heading the other way.”

Sun Woo-jin maintained the state of the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance, enhancing his senses.

Since the last battle with Am Hyeol-hyang, he could now use Hyunwol without strain.

After a moment, sensing the horsemen had moved away, he sent another message.

They’re gone. Moving forward.

They pressed on, following the mental map.

“Right at this four-way passage, then left at the next three-way…”

At that moment, Sun Woo-jin sensed the horsemen who had gone the other way were turning back toward them.

They probably hadn’t noticed them yet, but were trailing behind.

He quickly sent a message.

Horsemen from before are following behind. We’ll pick up the pace.

At his command, the group quickened their steps, turning left sharply at the fork ahead.

A long, straight corridor stretched out—at least seventy or eighty meters.

According to No Je-eok, passing through this corridor would bring them close to the inner section.

They moved silently and swiftly like ghosts.

Then—

Sun Woo-jin abruptly raised his palm again.

Stop! Seven or eight horsemen approaching from the right corner ahead!

A troublesome situation.

The corridor was a long, straight stretch, and no matter how quickly they rounded the four corners, there was no way to avoid being spotted by the enemies.

So, they had no choice but to fall back.

But from the rear right corridor they had just come from, the mado were still pursuing them.

“Retreat! Fall back and take cover to the left!”

That direction was one they hadn’t heard anything about from No Jeok.

But there was no other option for now.

As the group quickly pulled back, Sun Woo-jin urgently sent a message.

“Stop! They’re coming from that side too!”

This time, Sun Woo-jin was genuinely rattled.

From the left, at a right angle not far from their position, more mado were approaching the corner.

It was the worst possible scenario.

The group, halted by his words, couldn’t help but show signs of panic.

They realized that enemies were closing in from three directions.

Sun Woo-jin gritted his teeth.

If things continued like this, they’d be surrounded and inevitably discovered.

But hiding was impossible.

With the black leopard following close behind and the area too brightly lit, stealth was out of the question.

Jeung-chil asked urgently, “What do we do?! Fight?!”

Though he was the only one speaking, everyone was looking to Sun Woo-jin for orders.

He had to decide quickly.

Focusing briefly with his keen sight to sense their presence, Sun Woo-jin moved swiftly and sent a message.

“Head left for now!”

He decided that since mado would appear from all three directions if they stayed put, it was better to move decisively toward one side and confront the enemies there first.

The group moved quickly, turning left at the fork in the corridor.

No sooner had they changed direction than eight mado appeared around the corner of the rear straight corridor.

Had they stayed still, they would have been caught without a chance.

But the danger wasn’t over.

Five mado from the rear corner would soon turn toward them, and three more from the front were just about to change direction their way.

“Move fast!”

Sun Woo-jin advanced swiftly to the corner ahead.

From the left, three mado were just about to turn toward them.

At that moment, he sent a message to the black leopard moving right beside him, conveying a desperate will.

“Go ahead first and draw their attention!”

Without hesitation, the black leopard sprang forward.

Tap!

“Ugh?!”

“What the—?!”

“A leopard?!”

Cleverly, the black leopard avoided colliding with the three mado by leaping off the walls and ceiling, vaulting over their heads to land behind them.

Startled, the mado instinctively turned their gaze back toward the leopard.

The group seized the moment.

Sun Woo-jin and his team silently closed in on the mado’s backs like ghosts.

Shh-shh-shh!

Crack! Snap!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

“Gah!”

It took only an instant to cover their mouths and snap their necks.

Carrying the bodies, Sun Woo-jin’s group quickly moved forward.

Swish!

Though they hadn’t yet been detected by the other mado, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

Even if they minimized noise, the shout of “Leopard!” from moments ago might have alerted the others.

They pressed on swiftly, turning right at the next corner and pausing briefly behind it.

Now was the time to listen for any reaction from the other mado.

Focusing his enhanced hearing, amplified by the Moonlight Sword Dance technique, Sun Woo-jin caught distant voices.

“Hey! Where are you headed?”

“Ah, on our way to the training grounds. You?”

“Going to eat. But did you just hear someone shout ‘Leopard’?”

“No? We thought that was you guys.”

“Hmm, that’s strange. Earlier, during our watch, we saw a big black leopard roaming the outer corridor.”

“Really? That’s odd. But could it have gotten inside here? There are guards outside.”

“Yeah, maybe. Still, it feels off. Anyway, we’ll check out the J Workshop just in case.”

“Alright. See you later.”

Sun Woo-jin bit his lip as he listened.

‘Damn it!’

The mado who said they’d check the workshop were heading this way.

He turned his head to look down the rear corridor.

This was an area he knew nothing about—No Jeok hadn’t mentioned a thing.

‘The J Workshop…’

But there was no choice.

Without hesitation, Sun Woo-jin made up his mind and sent a message to his comrades.

“Mado are coming this way. Let’s fall back a bit more.”

Even if it was unfamiliar territory, they had to move to a less populated area to deal with the threat.

Carrying three bodies, the group retreated quickly.

If the corridor branched again, they planned to wait there and hope the mado would take a different route.

But things didn’t go as planned.

No matter how many corners they turned, the corridor led only to a one-way path.

‘Damn.’

Sun Woo-jin’s anxiety grew.

Soon, the corridor came to an end.

At its terminus stood a single entrance leading into a stone chamber.

This corridor led only to one large stone chamber.

The group looked at Sun Woo-jin, silently asking what to do next.

After briefly sensing the chamber’s interior, Sun Woo-jin finally sent a message.

“We’re going inside.”

Using his keen sight, he scanned the chamber.

It was very spacious, and at least, he sensed no signs of life within.

That’s why they decided to enter.

But as soon as they stepped inside, they froze in shock.

“!”

Because the chamber was filled with people.

Nearly a hundred of them.