Chapter 120

A moonless, pitch-black night.

I’m walking across an expansive meadow right now.

That drunkard who messed with me is ultimately resisting the coffin and dying from sword and spear wounds at the scene. Though he wasn’t the one who started the fire, he was definitely causing the most chaos there.

Most importantly, the fortress walls nearby didn’t just burn down—they’ve warped from the heat, and parts have collapsed.

We need someone to pin the blame on, don’t we?

And yeah, it’s gonna be him.

But his death played out differently than I predicted.

I thought he’d grab the gold, deny his crimes, and try to flee far away. At least with his enhanced body, he could run longer than others, I figured.

And as more people get caught, the later ones are always under more scrutiny.

Especially someone with unique hair and skin color?

An easy target, isn’t it?

If he were outright evil, it’d lead to hasty generalizations.

Especially in an era where information flows slowly. Add a rumor about gold, and its spread would only accelerate.

Thud thud.

While pondering this, I kept walking… until the already dark night sky turned completely black. Not even a single star shines through the cloudy heavens.

This isn’t a world where civilization has advanced much, so roads are just dirt exposed to the elements, with no streetlights anywhere.

Earlier, I saw nothing but endless meadows ahead—no place to rest. Just as I contemplated sitting on the ground, something caught my eye.

Far off, a light appeared.

Not in the sky, but on the ground.

If people live there, maybe I can find shelter. So I headed toward it.

Despite stumbling a few times in the darkness, I eventually arrived.

An old man stood there, holding a small lantern.

“Who goes there in the dead of night?”

His voice was raspy and rough, quite distinctive. Since he asked first, I replied.

“To Kunlun Mountain.”

“Ah, are you visiting a Taoist master? From your appearance, it seems you’ve met with some misfortune.”

Looking down at myself, I realized my clothes were covered in dirt and dust from tripping earlier while heading here.

“I have business with the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.”

When I finished speaking, the old man stared intensely at me. His expression was unreadable, like my memory glitched trying to process it.

There’s a glow emanating from his body, about the size of Hwangbo Cheon.

In short…

“Ho ho ho! Even the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign won’t save you!”

His face twisted into a grin as his body stretched unnaturally long, lunging toward me to devour.

He’s not human.

Thinking of Fishmen, it’s hard to imagine they’re the only strange creatures around. Indeed, according to memories from Tongcheon’s teachings, this world has various kinds of immortal monsters.

Daegon once recklessly accepted them all before challenging Kunlun Mountain, though he ultimately lost.

Meaning, these are common indigenous beings of this world.

It bit me. My flesh tore, bones were gnawed—but so what?

I grasped the light and absorbed its warmth.

“Aaah? Aaaah? It’s cold, so cold!”

The monster couldn’t maintain its form anymore. Its body bubbled and boiled like foam, with limbs, eyes, and ears popping out where they shouldn’t.

“What, why is it so cold? Aren’t you human? Are… are you not human?”

Come to think of it, I’ve never done anything else after draining someone’s warmth like this. Plus, there’s nothing around.

And there lies a pitiful local life form, trembling and screaming from the cold.

An opportunity for experimentation arises.

Before regenerating my body, I grabbed the creature and forced its darkened light into me. If Daegon could control things, maybe this will work too?

Crack.

Unlike Daegon, the light shattered into dust and vanished without leaving a trace.

And the monster froze entirely.

Though its body continued boiling, alternating between regeneration and collapse, its consciousness had vanished.

Useless.

Or maybe not entirely…

The light wasn’t created by some tool; the monster transformed its own body to produce it. According to the info from the light, it was born to consume humans.

If that’s true, calling it a “light emitter” at birth wouldn’t be wrong, would it?

Let’s extract only what’s needed.

I crushed reality and seized the almost spherical remains, turning it into a lantern. Of course, I healed Choseol’s body along the way.

Crunch.

With ominous sounds, the body compressed into a portable lantern. Initially resembling a traditional lantern, it now looks more like a gas lamp.

Maybe my faded memories mixed in somehow?

Hmm!

It’s pretty bright.

It emits light without heat—it must be self-illuminating. Carrying this will make traveling easier.

So, with the lantern in hand, I resumed my journey toward Kunlun Mountain.

Behind me, in the deep darkness, a faint crack appears. Judging by its size, creating the lantern might’ve been akin to cracking a glass bottle.

It resembles the cracks that appear when healing serious wounds.

Good enough.

With the lantern lighting up the dark night, I head toward Kunlun Mountain.

The path is clear now.

Even without stars, I can safely traverse the night road with this.

***

As time passed, the dark sky gradually lit up, and the sun rose beyond the horizon.

When dawn broke, I finally got a good look at the lantern I was carrying. It resembles a black gas lamp, but instead of fire, strange liquid inside emits light.

What I thought was steel is actually more like leather.

The handle feels soft, almost as if it’s lined with leather—but no, it’s just the body itself.

Calling it something like a talisman should suffice.

If it works, that’s all that matters.

Continuing onward, vast rice paddies appeared to either side. It’s spring, so most of them are dry.

Beyond the fields looms a large city.

At least in this city, I hope they won’t block my way.

While thinking this, I approached the city gates. Wondering why they blocked me last time, I was surprised at how easily I entered this time.

No hassle, no questions—just a smooth entrance.

Guess I won’t need those gold pieces I prepared.

Inside, I immediately sought accommodations before continuing toward Kunlun. Even if I can force my body to adapt, if I break before reaching Kunlun Mountain, that’d be bad, right?

Choseol’s body is human.

Even with me inside, it needs rest.

Actually, during my last visit to a city, I tried resting…

But they made me take a detour, wasting even more time. After stealing my time, I made them pay.

Though it wasn’t a huge price—just a minor commotion that quickly ended.

Remembering failures helps me steadily achieve my goals.

Current goal: Rest.

Referencing the memories of a passing Taoist, I picked a decent inn and entered.

At the entrance, I ordered a night’s stay and two days’ worth of preserved food, tossed over a lump of gold, and told them no change was necessary.

The innkeeper smiled brightly.

Desire gleamed in their eyes, but it wasn’t malicious or murderous—just someone trying to provide good service for tips.

Pretty wholesome.

Following them upstairs, I found the room clean, just like in my memories. Unlike the faded memories where hotels or motels often pop up, this room is smaller and lacks a bathing area.

Still, it’s decent value for money around here.

After unpacking, I asked the person who took the gold about bathing facilities. They eagerly led me there.

All that was available was hot water and towels, but it was enough for me.

When I returned, my clothes seemed slightly different from when I left. But since there was nothing worth stealing inside, I dressed without worry.

The only steal-worthy item, the monster-made lantern, was left untouched because they probably thought it belonged to the inn.

Just as I was about to leave it alone, the light flickered strangely, catching my attention.

A man’s face, which hadn’t been there moments ago, now glowed faintly within the light before slowly dissolving.

Ah.

How fascinating. I figured out what happened but pretended not to notice as I returned to my room.

The moment I entered, the same man who took the gold grinned and asked if I liked the bathroom, bringing me food.

I praised it, making him beam as he left.

Honestly, I suspected this guy tried sneaking in to steal.

Guess not. Someone must’ve seen me give gold earlier, snuck in, and became fuel for the lantern.

Good enough.

Finally, I enjoyed a proper meal and rested well at the inn.

While resting, I organized my thoughts.

While I trudge along on foot, Yuan Hou Gong from Huashan, Cheonbaek from Taishan, and Sima Baek from Songshan are using some sort of technique called “Bopa” to travel at incredible speeds back to their respective sects.

I didn’t think much about them being martial artists, but they’ll likely reach their sects faster than rumors.

I kinda hoped they’d fight some Murim Alliance members or Celestial Sect Taoists along the way.

Had they been smarter, they wouldn’t have made such mistakes…

So, marking myself as an easy target back in that village wasn’t very effective.

Anyway…

The distances to Huashan, Taishan, and Songshan are similar, so their arrival times won’t differ much.

My faded memories faintly glow, questioning why Kunlun Mountain isn’t at the western edge but rather in the center—”This isn’t the martial world I know.”

They rarely glow like this.

Every time these memories surface, I realize the geography here differs entirely from ancient China in my faded memories. So why do they keep glowing?

While observing the three through their perspectives as they approach their destinations, Choseol’s body rested deeply.

Because once I enter Kunlun, there won’t be much time to rest.

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