Chapter 187
Just two more turns around the corner, and they would reach the entrance to the inner chamber. Yet, Sun Woo-jin hesitated, unable to decide what to do next.
Suddenly, as if urging him to make a choice, a presence was detected behind them.
‘Damn!’
It was the approach of other mages.
Several of them were closing in from the rear.
Sun Woo-jin’s mind raced.
‘What now? Should we retreat back through the long straight corridor?’
But retracing their steps along that six or seven chang-long passage was a bitter prospect.
There was nowhere to hide along the way, making retreat risky both now and for any future return.
‘Damn it, what should I do?’
At that moment, Muk-rang spoke up again.
“Tell me, would you trust me enough to take a gamble?”
Sun Woo-jin’s ears perked up at the word ‘gamble.’
‘A gamble? Do you have a plan?’
Muk-rang answered, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
“I can’t guarantee success. If this weren’t urgent, I wouldn’t suggest it. But right now, we don’t have the luxury of hesitation.”
Sun Woo-jin knew he couldn’t afford to be picky.
He urged him quickly, “Please, tell me!”
“First, keep moving straight ahead. I’ll explain as we go.”
Without hesitation, Sun Woo-jin signaled the group to advance, pressing forward without turning left at the upcoming intersection.
Muk-rang continued talking as they moved.
“I’ve been feeling it since earlier—the architecture here is strangely familiar. Not something I designed, but it reminded me of a similar blueprint I once drew for my elder brother. When we passed that straight corridor, it hit me. If my guess is right, when we turn right up ahead, there should be a pillar…”
Following Muk-rang’s instructions, Sun Woo-jin turned right at the corner.
There stood a thick, sturdy column supporting the ceiling.
Sun Woo-jin stared blankly at it, while Muk-rang muttered in disbelief.
“So it’s true. My brother really built this here?”
His tone was light, but Sun Woo-jin sensed a deep longing beneath it.
Before he could press him further, Muk-rang regained his composure and spoke again.
“These pillars are part of the control system for this central chamber. Come closer.”
Sun Woo-jin hurried over.
He noticed countless intricate patterns etched into the bricks composing the pillar.
“Look for a wolf emblem similar to the one on the Muk-rang Sword.”
Near the base of the pillar, almost hidden among the elaborate designs and below eye level, was a small wolf symbol.
Muk-rang instructed, “Press it.”
Sun Woo-jin did so.
With a satisfying click, the brick bearing the wolf emblem slid inward.
The others watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend how he was manipulating a pillar they’d never seen before.
Sun Woo-jin ignored them, focusing solely on Muk-rang’s voice.
“Now, slide it one notch to the right. Then…”
He obeyed.
With a grinding sound, the pillar rotated.
Suddenly, the entire chamber trembled.
A low rumble shook the corridor, like a minor earthquake.
The group exchanged alarmed glances.
Muk-rang explained calmly, “That mechanism just altered the structure of the outer corridor. It also raised the system’s activation level. It seems they’ve disabled all the previous mechanisms, but now…”
At that moment, distant screams pierced the air.
“Arrgh!”
“What’s happening?! The mechanism’s activating!”
“Ah! What’s going on?!”
Muk-rang chuckled cheerfully.
“That’s exactly what I expected.”
Outside, chaos was escalating.
Mages were being attacked by the corridor’s traps.
Muk-rang said, “Focus your senses on those bastards again. With all this noise, they must be moving.”
Sun Woo-jin concentrated, sharing Muk-rang’s perception.
He sensed the elite mages near the inner chamber entrance shifting toward the commotion.
Even the six sentries had advanced slightly from their original posts.
“They’re moving, sir!”
“Good. This is our chance. Slide the wolf emblem one more notch. The wall will open, revealing the inner chamber entrance. We must infiltrate the moment it does.”
Sun Woo-jin whispered urgently to his team.
“The wall’s about to open. Once it does, that’s our way in. We move fast and quiet.”
Though the others seemed full of questions, they simply nodded.
Sun Woo-jin gripped the wolf emblem and turned it with all his strength.
The wall ground open with a harsh screech.
Beyond it lay the entrance to the inner chamber.
“Let’s go!”
With a burst of speed, the group dashed through.
At that moment, the mages guarding the entrance were distracted, inspecting the moving wall.
They sensed a faint presence behind them and turned—only to find Sun Woo-jin and his team had already slipped inside.
“Hehehehe!”
Po Jeok-gwan, the infamous elite of the Blood Sect, had been fixated for days on a woman captured by the Black Blood Demon’s squad.
As a Blood Sect mage, his lust was legendary.
Though he’d been stationed here in the Mu-hwang Tomb for years under the Blood Demon’s orders, occasional outings to satisfy his desires barely scratched the surface.
Now, unable even to touch the naked Blood Demon woman nearby, his frustration was unbearable.
‘I have to find a chance before Lord Sima returns…’
Unlike the Black Blood Demon squad, who rarely interfered, the White Masked Sima Gu U-jeol was fiercely protective of his ‘materials.’ If he came back, Po Jeok-gwan would never dare make a move.
So he had to act now.
Today, that chance finally arrived.
For some reason, the Blood Demon woman screamed and fled the chamber.
Though curious about the cause, Po Jeok-gwan’s joy at the opportunity far outweighed his concern.
He and his comrades—Blood Wind Ma-gun Eo Chi-ram and Heaven Strike Ma-gun Yoon Yong-wan—were able to enter the chamber where the woman was held once more.
“Oh! Such a cutie! Still as beautiful as ever!”
“Hehehe! I’ve been waiting for this moment all these days!”
“Come on, before things go wrong again…!”
They closed in on Na Seo-yu with greedy eyes.
Suddenly, the chamber trembled.
The mages lunging forward froze, staring up at the ceiling.
“What’s that? An earthquake?”
“An earthquake?!”
Their expressions turned serious.
They knew that if a real quake struck, their lives deep underground would be at risk.
They paused, focusing on their surroundings.
But the shaking didn’t stop.
Gradually, they realized it wasn’t the earth trembling, but the mechanisms moving.
“This isn’t an earthquake. The system’s activating.”
“What’s going on? This never happened before.”
“Is the Demon Lord doing something?”
Their curiosity was overshadowed by greed.
Once they judged their lives weren’t in danger, they refocused on Na Seo-yu.
“Whatever the cause, we can figure it out later.”
“Hehehe, right.”
“Now, let’s hurry…!”
At that moment—
Crash!
Five people and a beast burst into the chamber.
Sun Woo-jin’s team.
Leading the charge was Seol Poong.
Having already sensed the situation inside through his clairvoyance, he spotted Na Seo-yu lying on the floor and his eyes went wild.
“You bastards!”
Seol Poong’s eyes flared red.
His new form transformed into a ferocious beast as he charged the three elite mages.
“Raaaargh!”
Crash!
“What the—?!”
“Ah!”
“Get out of the way!”
Despite the lightning-fast assault, the three mages were also at the peak of their power.
Startled by the sudden attack, they swiftly unleashed their own forms, dodging Seol Poong’s onslaught.
From behind, Sun Woo-jin suddenly shouted low and lunged at one of them.
“Senior Jeung, one down!”
In an instant, his sword flashed like a ray of light.
The One-Second Sword Technique.
One moment, one strike.
Whoosh!
It was an incredibly fast thrust.
“Ugh!”
Cheoljangma Corps’ Captain Po Jeo-gwan, who had been dodging by leaping away, realized he couldn’t block it. Summoning all his internal energy, he braced himself.
“Uhaaah!”
A fierce burst of protective energy flared out.
Whoooosh!
Thwack!
The defensive aura suddenly unleashed stopped Sun Woo-jin’s lightning-fast thrust dead in its tracks.
Having narrowly escaped danger, Po Jeo-gwan staggered back, trying to regain his footing.
At the same time, Jeung Chil scattered three hidden weapons and charged at another opponent with lightning speed.
Pew pew pew!
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
But Hyeolpungma Corps’ Eo Chi-ram was also a master of secret techniques.
He accelerated suddenly, dodging the weapons and counterattacking Jeung Chil with a shout.
“You monkey-like brat!”
Jeung Chil’s face twisted in frustration as his weapons missed, and he exploded like a volcano.
“W-what? You dwarf-like brat!”
In the next moment, the two small-statured fighters collided midair.
Bang! Bang! Crash!
Though similar in build, Jeung Chil was slightly taller with longer arms, while Eo Chi-ram was stockier and shorter.
Their fight was at least between worthy opponents.
But for Bi Sa-yeong and Ya Un-hyang, who faced the remaining supreme master, it was a different story.
They simply weren’t strong enough to take on such a top-tier expert yet.
Fully aware of this, Bi Sa-yeong didn’t recklessly charge in.
Instead, he circled around, trying to draw attention.
Whoooosh!
His form became a gust of wind, flowing behind Cheontoe Ma Corps’ Yun Yung-wan.
“Hm?”
Even the supreme master couldn’t ignore such speed, and his gaze flicked back.
Seizing the moment, Ya Un-hyang’s whip transformed into a spear and stabbed at the back of his neck.
“Ha!”
Sshhhk!
But to the supreme master of Cheontoe Ma Corps, Ya Un-hyang’s desperate attack wasn’t much of a threat.
“Hmph!”
With a snort, he swung his foot, striking the tip of the incoming whip away.
Bang!
“Gah!”
The whip snapped back with tremendous force, and Ya Un-hyang had to exert all her strength to hold onto it.
Meanwhile, the master’s chain flail targeted her.
“You bitch!”
But Bi Sa-yeong acted first.
As the master moved toward Ya Un-hyang, Bi Sa-yeong used his explosive step technique to launch himself like a bullet onto the man’s back.
Bang!
“!”
Startled, the master kicked backward like a spear.
Sshak!
It was a back kick aimed at Bi Sa-yeong’s head.
But Bi Sa-yeong hadn’t charged to attack.
His form, fierce and rushing, suddenly softened like the wind, smoothly evading the strike and passing over the master’s head.
His movements were as fluid and gentle as a real breeze.
Like the wind, Bi Sa-yeong circled the master again, looking for an opening.
Meanwhile, Ya Un-hyang had regained her stance.
As their comrades clashed with the three supreme masters, Seol Poong, his face twisted with worry, called out to Na Seo-yu.
“Na Seo-yu!”
Na Seo-yu looked at Seol Poong in a daze.
“…Seol Poong?”
“That’s right. It’s me, Na Seo-yu! Do you recognize me?!”
At this moment, she could hardly believe it was real.
Just when she was in danger, as always, he had appeared again.
She had thought it impossible this time, but he had come to save her once more.
Here, in the heart of the Blood Sect’s lair.
Feeling like she was dreaming, she stared blankly at Seol Poong and asked,
“Is it really you, Seol Poong? How?”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Thank you… Thank you for staying alive, Seo-yu.”
Held firmly by Seol Poong’s powerful arms, Na Seo-yu finally realized this wasn’t a dream.
He had truly come all this way to rescue her.
Tears finally streamed down her face.
“Seol Poong… Seol Poong… Seol Poong…”
She kept whispering the name she had longed to hear.
Nothing else mattered.
While Seol Poong and Na Seo-yu shared their emotional reunion, Sun Woo-jin fought cautiously against Cheoljangma Corps’ Po Jeo-gwan, never forgetting to use his keen insight to scan the surroundings.
Then, something caught his senses.
“!”
An overwhelming presence.
One that dwarfed even the supreme masters in this chamber.
A presence so immense it reminded him of Amhyulhyang.
Someone with such a colossal aura was approaching.
He immediately knew who it was.
‘Heuk Hyeol Hwanma Dudang?!’
Among the remaining Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars in Muhwang Fortress, it could only be him.
‘If Dudang joins the fight now…’
The situation would become dire.
They might handle the three supreme masters they faced now.
If Seol Poong joined Na Seo-yu and Sak Mu-heun after healing, they could even have the upper hand.
But if Heuk Hyeol Hwanma Dudang entered the fray?
It would be catastrophic.
‘What should I do?’
Sun Woo-jin gritted his teeth.