Chapter 95

It was a night before the Pyungsanho Lake.

I wanted to eat something other than kimchi stew, maybe a soda.

Even a carbonated drink would do.

I craved a drink as icy as a block of ice.

I wished I could gulp it down until my throat burst.

But there was no way to enjoy carbonation…

Qing’s longing only grew deeper.

Wishing for something that didn’t exist in this world, how could my state improve?

While I was staring into the campfire, lost in thought,

“Tonight, the Supreme Being wishes to see you.”

The little brat I hadn’t seen in ages was still tiny.

Qing shook her head listlessly.

“Not really…”

“The Supreme Being didn’t ask for your opinion. It’s better to quietly come with me.”

“I’m saying I don’t want to!”

Choi Riyong interrupted Ji Seung-ju.

“Jajan Magun. The Supreme Being…”

“Isn’t it about time to stop pampering this grown brat? What’s he going to do here? He throws a fit at the Divine Sect unless we cater to him.”

Ji Seung-ju sighed deeply.

“Damn it. Please, cut me some slack. I’ve stayed by that brat’s side for five years. Can’t you go and deal with him together?”

That was incredibly sacrilegious.

Choi Riyong flinched.

The upper echelon of the Divine Sect was grateful to Ji Seung-ju, which was the current reality.

If you turned the phrase ‘reckless and unrestrained’ into a person, it would be this Supreme Being.

And the boy had somehow managed to quell the chaos at least to some extent by soothing him.

“I’m not unaware of the difficulties of the situation, but look at this. The kid is sprawled out like a corpse of a three-day-old rotten goat.”

Ji Seung-ju’s expression turned astonished.

To Ji Seung-ju, Qing was a madwoman who joyfully smashed the heads of assassins.

“Was that state ‘sprawled out’?”

“Can’t you see it?”

“I thought it was a ruse to lower our guard. Didn’t Jajan Magun see the blood on the way here? That could serve as an excuse for the Supreme Being.”

Ji Seung-ju sighed again and turned his body.

Then he headed straight for the luxurious temporary tent, where the Supreme Being lay on his special golden bed.

The Supreme Being yawned widely and asked,

“Are you coming alone?”

“I apologize for the intrusion, but I came to check and report that Seomun Qing is sprawled out.”

“Is that so?”

The Supreme Being chuckled slyly.

“You saw her eyes before, didn’t you? Do you know what I saw then?”

“I would like to hear your insight.”

“Perhaps the famous Master Jo isn’t as skilled as I thought, as he really doesn’t know how to gauge people. If this old man were to guide you, I’d say I’ve never witnessed such pure, intense hatred in my life.”

Ji Seung-ju recalled the image of Qing lounging over blood and brains.

Even thinking of it now sent shivers down his spine.

The Supreme Being chuckled at his expression.

“There’s no way she’s going to break. That’s what makes it fun to break her. I guarantee all of that is just an act.”

“Then should we call her back?”

“Well, it’s fine. If she’s throwing a tantrum, I can overlook it this once, along with Master Jo’s failure.”

Ji Seung-ju thought to himself.

There probably wouldn’t be a second chance.

But hiding his true thoughts, he bowed his waist like a sickle.

“Thank you for your immense kindness, O Supreme Being.”

—-

From the highlands, the view of the Pyungsanho Great Canyon was merely picturesque; it didn’t seem that complicated.

But stepping onto the winding paths of the canyon, anyone would be thrown into confusion.

With the sun not properly shining, the dark floor made it almost impossible for a person to find their direction.

There were no straight paths visible, and the winding route ahead quickly led to losing one’s way.

Of course, for masters, the terrain wasn’t that dangerous.

Superhumans had no trouble climbing cliffs a dozen yards high, so if they didn’t know the way, they could just scale the walls and find their way back by looking at the sky.

Thus, the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Sect lay hidden beneath the outstretched cliffs, in perpetual shadows where no sunlight reached.

In the midst of the great canyon, even if someone got lost, they wouldn’t know how to call for help, and the masters rarely ventured into the deep canyon.

Therefore, the Demon Sect relied on the Great Master Mucheondae’s diary to find out that the Heavenly Demon Sect was located at Pyungsanho, something they wouldn’t have found otherwise even after a thousand years of wandering.

As Qing was held in Choi Riyong’s arms, gazing at the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Sect, she thought,

It’s a bit more shabby than I expected…

Something more grand. Eh, what does it matter?

A small stone door, just big enough for two men to squeeze through side by side, leaned almost flat against the cliff.

One could easily guess that there would be stairs leading underground behind it.

Realistically, who would put a gigantic, splendid golden door on their treasure vault?

That sort of spectacle could only be found in adventure films from Qing’s hometown; if real bandits were a concern, hiding it away was the only logical thing to do.

Just like how the Heavenly Demon’s tomb was sealed beneath the mountain without any grave markers.

Qing held the Magic Flute in her mouth.

She had tried to arrange a cheerful melody, but since Qing’s heart wasn’t into it, she played the original heartfelt tune instead.

The imagery of the song resonated with her nostalgia, merging with Qing’s emotions, so even amidst the brutal hearts of the madmen, it was impossible to avoid being moved by the emotional wave.

Some had tears glistening in their eyes as the beautifully structured sound of the flute quietly concluded.

And then, thud. Thud, thud, thud…

A heavy sound reverberated as something fell from the stone door, echoing away with increasing intervals.

One of the machinery experts from the Demon Sect carefully touched the stone door, knocking and pressing his ear close to it, seemingly inspecting it before he looked over, saying,

“It seems the locking mechanism has been released.”

Qing felt drained, and then drained even more.

In this atmosphere, I thought after playing the flute, the door would impressively creak open.

But it turned out the lock just fell off, rolling away somewhere inside.

If the machinery expert had known, he might have jumped for joy.

A door that unlocks to a specific sound is truly a treasure of this world, something only a genius craftsman could create.

Plus, who knew what would happen if it were forcibly opened? That sort of design is much more sophisticated than just having it simple to unlock.

As the expert tugged on the ring of the stone door, it soon creaked open with a grunt.

A black hole popped wide open.

Lighting a flare and tossing it in, the rough stairs leading downwards appeared, just as expected.

And the advance team composed of machinery experts and grave robbers hurriedly bundled their gear and proceeded inside.

Qing felt a little flustered.

Wait a minute.

If they get in first and come out with the Heavenly Demon Soul, wouldn’t I be left high and dry…

In Qing’s mind, everyone would enter together, tackling strange traps and mysterious monsters, enduring hardship.

And at the end of it all, opening a Brilliant Golden Door to reveal a radiant treasure, illuminated by an unknown beam of light amidst mysterious smoke.

Only then should the lame man leap into action, holding the Heavenly Demon Soul while staging a hostage escape, wrecking the place in triumph.

That was Qing’s plan.

But realistically, would the core members of the sect blindly enter without knowing what awaited them inside?

This is the problem with video games.

There’s nothing more absurd than barging into someone’s house, opening their box, and confidently striking up a conversation with the owner.

Trying to understand the world through video games results in this kind of situation.

If Seolga had known Qing’s plan back then, he would have hidden his pitying gaze and told her to live in reality and stop listening to tales spun by con men.

“Ugh. Grandpa, can you let me down for a second?”

“Be careful, step gingerly.”

Choi Riyong cautiously set Qing down.

What a genuinely devoted old man he was.

Qing finally stood on the ground.

Though her willpower was still lacking,

it was something that had to be done.

Something that had to be done?

Why?

Why should I be the one to stop the Demon Sect and help the Divine Maiden Sect, alongside the innocent people in the Central Plain…

Why am I the one doing this?

If my Magic Flute opened the way—

Wouldn’t it open regardless of whether it were me or not?

If I hadn’t taken the Magic Flute, they would have opened it regardless, wouldn’t they?

On the contrary, I’ve killed a lot of the madmen, so shouldn’t I at least receive a hundred praises for what I’ve done?

Huh?

That’s right…

I’m just struggling to breathe in this wretched place I don’t even know…

Qing’s shoulders drooped.

—-

The original name of the Heavenly Demon Sect was Samoneng.

It was built as a mausoleum for Ban-Chi, who missed his deceased wife, a monument to his own grave as well.

After finishing the installation of the mechanical system inside, he took poison and ended his life.

What mattered was that Samoneng was established after the death of the Heavenly Demon.

What would happen if the door to Samoneng were to be opened?

It meant that the Magic Flute had unlocked it.

And invoking the Magic Flute implied digging up the grave of his beloved wife.

He was a man who had committed suicide out of longing for his wife.

He could never pardon those who dared to desecrate his wife’s grave.

Of course, he never anticipated that a crazy person like the Great Master Mucheondae would tear through the roof and floor and casually leave behind one of his precious loots.

Someday, the Great Master may be able to find the hidden mausoleum by sensing it with his Qi and carve a shortcut without touching the complicated mechanical systems.

Still, Ban-Chi’s rage began at the moment Samoneng’s door opened.

He had placed a large iron ball as a locking device, designed to release with specific frequencies.

And now,

the locking mechanism was unlocked.

The iron ball fell with a thud, rolling down the stairs into a deep groove.

Following the slanted groove, the iron ball rolled and struck other iron balls, setting them off in another direction along a specially carved track.

The rolling iron balls multiplied.

Each ball struck another, sending dozens and hundreds of them rolling down the specially carved grooves.

Some balls pulled on strings while others pressed and pushed rods, completing the final operations of the mechanism, Ban-Chi’s final formation.

Ban-Chi’s legacy.

The Convergence of Illusions: A Maze that Does Not Return.

—-

Sniff, sniff.

Qing suddenly flared her nostrils.

“Hey?”

“Grandpa, do you smell something?”

“A smell? Why the sudden interest in scents?”

Qing was serious.

That familiar smell, the one so familiar it brought tears to her eyes, burst through the entrance of her hometown in Seoul, her mother’s…

“Kimchi stew!”

Qing yelled joyfully and dashed out.

And then she slipped right into the entrance.

“Whoa?” “Whoa whoa?” “Whoa whoa whoa?”

Everyone was taken aback by the miraculous scene.

Qing was already the visual comfort and ideal of the Demon Sect masters.

While everyone was focused on the flute performance, they finally witnessed the sight of a lame person sprinting forward.

Is this a dream or reality, and what in the world is kimchi stew, and why is she running towards it so desperately?

They could only blink and rub their eyes in dumbfounded amazement.

What snapped everyone back to reality was the old man’s scream of sheer horror.

“Heavenly Demon Soul! No! Banchae! Choi Banchae! Come back!”

Choi Riyong cried out with a voice that sounded like his heart was tearing apart, chasing after her.

“Ha ha! I told you so! I knew this would happen! Just as I suspected! If she’s my girl, it ought to be this exciting!”

The Supreme Being let out a shout of joy, racing forward.

“What are you doing! Hurry up and chase after her!”

Ji Seung-ju shouted loudly.

At that, the Demon Sect masters picked up speed and rushed into the Heavenly Demon Sect.

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