Chapter 516

Chapter 516
## Chapter 516. The Monster That Eats Despair (1)

—

Navigating through a labyrinth of winding corridors, clashing with scattered hostiles, and frequently retracing our steps, we eventually crossed paths with a warrior clad in the distinctive martial attire of the Moyong Clan.

“I—I’m alive!!! I actually made it out alive!!!”

**Do-gwang-su** bellowed at the top of his lungs, his voice dripping with an almost manic ecstasy.

—*Hey, should we strike him down? Initiate combat?*
—*Do you want me to throw the opening strike?*

Completely disregarding the mental transmissions passing between those two blockheads, **Nam-hwa-seong** and **Ya-yul-geuk**, I began to close the distance toward the fleeing warrior with deliberate strides.

*‘Wait a minute.’*

The martial artists belonging to the Moyong Clan showed absolutely no signs of stopping or even reducing their pace. Their faces were completely contorted with sheer panic as they sprinted away from some unseen terror in a desperate bid for survival.

“Hold on a moment……”

“Out of my way! Move it, you damn fool!”

Observing the Moyong Clan martial artist charging directly forward while radiating a fierce, hostile aura that practically screamed “Get out of my path, you fiend,” the reality of the situation clicked in my mind.

*‘Reasoning with them is a waste of breath.’*

As the old proverb implies, when speech fails to break through, a solid thrashing serves as the ultimate remedy. Even if an individual’s mind has been thoroughly clouded by the hallucinogenic effects of **Musim-hwan-gak-san**, a functional dialogue can always be established so long as the ‘Justice’ of my right hand and the ‘Chivalry’ of my left hand are properly administered.

“*Uh*? You… who exactly do you think you are?”

“Who else! A righteous champion fighting for justice!”

“*Uh, uwaaaa-ak*!”

Demonstrating the resilience expected of someone hailing from a renowned noble lineage, the warrior managed to mount a stubborn defense for seven consecutive blows. However, by the eighth impact—

“**Gre—Great Hero**……! Please, I beg of you, halt……”

His fractured sanity finally snapped back into place.

“Wh—why in the world are you treating me like this……”

“I merely need to ask you a few questions.”

“Even if that’s true, dealing with someone in this manner is……”

“Which is precisely why you should have listened and stopped when I first asked.”

“……”

The warrior, who had been on the verge of voicing his deep dissatisfaction, instantly ducked his head the moment I subtly hoisted ‘Justice’ back into view.

“Tell me, where did the rest of your comrades vanish to?”

“……What are you referring to?”

“The Moyong Clan isn’t some amateur training hall; your people wouldn’t simply scatter like mice for individual survival under normal conditions.”

“Tha—that’s only because the situation left us no choice—!”

“What kind of situation?”

“An absolute abomination of a monster showed up.”

My heart plummeted instantly. If a monstrosity had been unleashed within a trap meticulously orchestrated by the Demonic Cult…….

“And the rest of the group?”

I no longer possessed the luxury of dancing around the topic.

“Where is **Lady Moyong-seol** right now?”

“*Ah*—the young mistress is currently……”

The sheer dread reflecting in the man’s expression only amplified my worst apprehensions.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

A handful of shattered teeth spilled from the man’s bloodied mouth.

“The—the young mistress is single-handedly ho—holding off that fiend……”

The very second his explanation finished, I tossed him carelessly to the side and bolted forward at maximum speed. Charting a course upstream against the retreating crowd proved to be remarkably simple, as panicked members of the Moyong Clan were actively streaming out of every connecting tunnel.

*‘Don’t tell me she’s gone and isolated herself yet again!’*

Throughout her previous lifetime, she had invariably volunteered to hold the line as the rear guard. She always maintained that she was the only one capable of mitigating the catastrophic casualties that inevitably happen during a chaotic retreat rather than an organized assault.

*Crack*—

An immense surge of internal energy flooded into my lower limbs. Feeling the raw, explosive power coursing through my legs, I slammed my foot down and launched myself forward with everything I had.

“*Uh-ut*!”

I lacked the time or patience to pay any heed to the bewildered and frantic Moyong Clan swordsmen who stumbled back in utter confusion as I blurred past them.

“Clear the way!”

The need to navigate or search through the maze evaporated entirely. With every single step I took, the **Jeok-bong-hwan** began to vibrate and thrash about with an unprecedented level of intensity.

*Pop*—

Tearing through the subterranean paths without giving a single damn about whether I was stepping on the stone floor or vaulting off the cavern walls, I charged headlong into the specific cavern system **Yong-so-a** had previously described. The moment the inner chamber came into view, the sheer fury inside me caused my blood to boil in reverse.

“!!!!”

A hideous **Cheol-gang-si** (Iron Jiangshi) was actively attempting to end **Moyong-seol**’s life, thrusting forward with its grotesque, razor-sharp claws and snapping jaws. In immediate response, my dantian erupted, channeling true qi like a roaring inferno as the celestial energy of the **Ok-cheong-cheon-sang-ryeok** (Jade Clear Heavenly Power) flooded through my physical vessel, operating at peak capacity under the command of my sheer willpower.

*Thud*—

Employing no elaborate feints or specialized martial techniques, a raw fist propelled at absolute velocity along the most direct trajectory imaginable smashed squarely into the face of the **Cheol-gang-si**.

*Kwa-kwa-kwang!*

Accompanying a deafening, earth-shattering detonation, the shattered form of the **Cheol-gang-si** was driven deep into the solid stone wall.

*Crack, crack.*

To my profound irritation, the extraordinarily durable frame of the **Cheol-gang-si** forced itself back upright. Before dealing with it, my immediate priority was to assess the physical state of **Moyong-seol**.

*‘Just hold on a little bit longer.’*

Unleashing a sweeping crescent of sword-qi heavily infused with the potent **Ok-cheong-cheon-sang-ryeok**, the undead creature let out a piercing, blood-curdling screech.

“*Kuaaaaa-ak*!”

Paying no further mind to its cries, I walked directly toward my destination. Toward the stubborn warrior woman who always chose to remain behind in the danger zone, quietly weathering the enemy’s onslaught entirely on her own.

“Are you harmed?”

The selfless woman who consistently prioritizes the well-being of everyone else while placing herself in the absolute worst perils.

“**Young Master Jin**……”

The individual who repeatedly offers herself up as a sacrifice, despite experiencing deep terror and vulnerability more acutely than anyone else. The utterly powerless version of myself from my past incarnation had desperately yearned to find her in her moments of isolation and utter these exact words to her.

“It is a profound relief, **Lady Moyong**.”

“……”

Silent tears welled up in her eyes and began to track down both of her cheeks. **Moyong-seol** could only offer a stunned, unblinking gaze directly into my face.

*Crack— crack—*

A harsh, grating noise shattered the brief solace of our reunion.

“Yo—**Young Master Jin**! You must leave immediately, escape……”

“Kindly give me just a brief moment. I shall return before you know it.”

I gently lowered her trembling hands into a restful position and pivoted on my heel to face the threat.

*‘You absolute abominations…….’*

Whether looking back at my previous existence or surveying the current state of Sichuan in this present life, the mere sight of these unsettling aberrations caused an endless well of pure loathing to manifest within me. They stood as the most depraved and malicious manifestation of the Demonic Cult’s dark arts. A monstrosity forged from the butchered remnants of living breathing humans, designed specifically to slaughter mankind. The mere fact of its existence provided more than enough justification for total annihilation.

“Do not bother offering resistance, for the termination of your wretched existence is the only true peace you will find!”

The highly concentrated reserves of my **Ok-cheong-cheon-sang-ryeok** flared into a brilliant, almost blinding golden manifestation of spiritual energy, striking down like a thunderbolt directly at the creature’s neck. While such a feat might have presented a significant challenge back during the events in Sichuan, dealing with a standard **Cheol-gang-si** at my current level was merely—

*Thud-thud*—

*What*? The lightning-fast discharge of **Ok-cheong-cheon-sang-ryeok** missed its mark entirely, burying itself deep into the cavern wall. In the blink of an eye, the **Cheol-gang-si** closed the distance like a sudden gust of wind, thrusting both of its heavy fists straight toward me.

*Pop*—

The sheer kinetic force repelled my body backward by a distance of nearly two *jang*. However, because I had quickly raised the **Po-sik-gap** (Predator Gauntlet) to intercept the creature’s twin strikes, I sustained zero actual damage. Yet, something else entirely caught me off guard.

*‘Damn it all…….’*

A sudden realization struck me with immense surprise.

*‘This isn’t some commonplace **Cheol-gang-si**.’*

It was a **Hwan-hon-cheol-gang-si** (Soul-Returning Iron Jiangshi). Frequently designated by martial artists as a **Hon-gang-si**. If the standard variety of **Cheol-gang-si** I had previously combated in Sichuan was manufactured primarily to butcher low-tier martial artists en masse, the **Hon-gang-si** represented a specialized biological weapon engineered specifically for the systematic eradication of entire mainstream martial sects. Although the characteristic, rigid locomotion inherent to an ordinary **Cheol-gang-si** hadn’t been completely eliminated, its structural design had been heavily altered. By modifying the lower appendages and key sections of the upper torso to facilitate extreme agility, the creators ensured it retained the capacity to execute the sophisticated martial disciplines it possessed during its living years—

*‘This is an incredibly obnoxious pain in the ass, damn it.’*

The most aggravating aspect of this creature was its unique composition: it retained the legendary, near-indestructible density of an ordinary **Cheol-gang-si** while possessing an almost incomprehensible movement speed, making it far more than a simple nuisance to suppress. It was powerful enough that those fanatical bastards of the Demonic Cult routinely deployed a **Hwan-hon-cheol-gang-si** directly into the heart of opposing formations at the very onset of an engagement.

“As if that changes anything!”

Utilizing its unnatural agility, the creature launched itself forward once more with a heavy punch. I moved to clash directly against its fist, packing the strike with the absolute maximum output of my **Ok-cheong-cheon-sang-ryeok**.

*Thump*—

Accompanied by a violent shockwave that vibrated straight through my skull, a surge of corrupt demonic qi attempted to bleed across my knuckles, only to be forcefully repelled and driven back by the purifying properties of my celestial energy. This time, it was the **Hon-gang-si** that found itself sent flying backward through the air.

*Thud*—

The moment the **Hon-gang-si** skidded along the stone floor and attempted to immediately right its stance, I swung the **Jeok-gwang-geom**, which was thoroughly cloaked in a dense layer of defensive protective qi.

*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud*—

The **Hon-gang-si** recklessly chose to absorb the protective qi generated by the **Ok-cheong-cheon-sang-ryeok** completely head-on.

*Ske-gek— ske-gek—*

The very moment its vestigial, ornamental ears and the digits of its right hand were sheared clean off, the creature desperately twisted its torso away to avoid further damage.

“Ignorant beast. Did you truly believe that transitioning into an **Cheol-gang-si** would render you completely invincible under heaven?”

Unlike its lesser counterparts, a **Hon-gang-si** retains a primitive shred of cognitive reasoning. I harbored doubts as to whether it could comprehend human speech, given that its overall intellect was said to be comparable to that of a trained hound.

“*Kuaaaaa-ak*!”

The creature scrambled across the floor like a wild animal, snatching up its severed ears and digits. Seizing the opening, I unleashed an absolute downpour of protective qi directly over its position, feeling my internal reserves rapidly deplete from the intense expenditure.

*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!*

Amidst a thick, rising cloud of pulverized stone dust, a spray of corrupted black blood erupted from numerous lacerations across the entity’s entire frame.

*Sizzle*—

A pungent, corrosive vapor began to drift upward from every surface touched by the dark fluid.

*Grrrr.*

Evidently realizing that the nature of my protective qi posed a mortal threat to its existence, the creature cast aside its severed body parts and bared its elongated fangs, its gaze locked onto me with pure predatory intent.

*Crack*—

Accompanied by the distinct sound of overstrained muscle fibers snapping under tension, the creature propelled itself forward like a bolt from a ballista. I managed to narrowly evade the trajectory by executing the **Tae-eul-pal-man-sin-bo** footwork at its absolute limit.

*Thud*—

Unable to bleeding off its tremendous forward momentum, the monster smashed violently into the stone wall. Yet, even within that briefest of windows, it managed to land a retaliatory scratch.

*Sizzle*—

Three distinct laceration marks began to smolder against the skin of my forearm.

“You absolute cur!”

“*Kuaaaaa-ak*!”

Using the wall to rebound, the creature launched itself directly back toward me like a speeding arrow. I charged straight ahead to meet its trajectory, simultaneously unleashing the intricate patterns of the **Seol-hwa**.

*Crack-crack*—

As the entity’s heavy, iron-like frame fought back against my grip, twisting violently to break free, the muscles throughout my entire body groaned under the immense physical strain of restraining it.

“Go straight to hell, you bastard—!”

Refusing to relinquish my hold on the thrashing creature, I slammed its entire body full-force into the nearest rock wall.

*Kwa-kwa-kwang!*

“Yo—**Young Master Jin**!”

**Moyong-seol** struggled to push herself up off the ground, looking as though she intended to throw herself into the fray at any second.

“*Ah-ah*, do not alarm yourself, I am perfectly fine. Please remain exactly where you are. I will conclude this shortly……”

“Right behind you!”

Acting purely on hard-wired survival instinct, I dropped my upper body backward into a flawless execution of the **Cheol-pan-gyo** (Iron Plate Bridge) technique, narrowly avoiding a swipe of the creature’s bizarre claws as they whistled directly over my face. Rising smoothly back to my feet, I simultaneously discharged the **Mu-eum-cheong-su-in**, striking the monster squarely.

*Thud— thud-thud*—

I successfully hammered three consecutive impacts directly into the entity’s torso, yet it continued to press forward as though the blows had no effect whatsoever.

“This is getting incredibly tedious—”

Forcing the creature back by letting loose a chaotic barrage of the **Bi-ryu-mu-hyeong-geom** (Flying Flowing Formless Sword), I immediately transitioned into the casting of the **Seong-hwa-myeol-ma-su**.

*Fwoosh*—

At the sudden manifestation of radiant flames enveloping my hands, the **Hon-gang-si**, which had been charging forward like a rabid animal, noticeably hesitated for a fraction of a second.

“What’s the matter? Does this spark a bit of fear in you?”

As if seeking to deny any such weakness, the **Hon-gang-si** let out a guttural roar and drove its legs into the ground to close the distance. Anticipating the exact movement, I drove the flaming palm of the **Seong-hwa-myeol-ma-su** squarely into the center of the creature’s chest.

*Pop*—

A massive concussive blast erupted, blasting the **Hon-gang-si** backward through the air. Yet again, the creature picked itself back up as if completely unaffected by the trauma, taking a couple of forward strides before freezing mid-motion, seemingly registering an internal anomaly.

“*Kuaaaaa-ak*!”

It began hammering wildly against its own ribcage with enough force to shatter bone, but the persistent embers refused to die out. Such was the nature of the **Seong-hwa** (Holy Fire)—it utilized corrupt demonic qi as its primary source of fuel. Grimacing as it finally experienced genuine agony, the **Hon-gang-si** locked its eyes onto me before abruptly altering its course, sprinting full tilt toward **Moyong-seol**.

*‘You piece of garbage!’*

*Ping*—

The **Bi-ryong-jo** whipped out through the air like a bolt of lightning, wrapping itself securely around the monster’s neck, and I yanked back on the line with all the leverage I could muster.

*Crack*—

Just as the cord of the **Bi-ryong-jo** pulled taut to its absolute structural limit, the forward drive of the **Hon-gang-si** was brought to a dead stop. Without wasting a single beat, I flooded its position with another application of the **Seong-hwa-myeol-ma-su**.

*Fwoosh*—

With the searing golden flames now consuming its lower extremities, its torso, and even its skull, the **Hon-gang-si** began to thrash about erratically as the true agony of the technique took hold.

“*Kuaaaaa-ak*—”

Strangely enough, it was only at this exact moment that the prior impacts from the **Mu-eum-cheong-su-in** finally manifested their secondary effects, causing a localized frost and freezing energy to spread across the patches of flesh that had escaped the fire.

“*Kuaaaaa-aaa-ak*—”

The **Hon-gang-si** writhed violently in its death throes, howling like a condemned beast escaping the depths of the underworld, until its movements gradually grew sluggish and eventually ceased altogether. Right around that moment, the rest of our traveling party finally breached the entrance of the cavern.

“*Heuk*! What in the world happened here?”

“A Jiangshi! It’s a genuine **Cheol-gang-si**!”

**Nam-hwa-seong** instantly flew into a state of high agitation, pointing a trembling finger at the corpse as old, bitter memories clearly resurfaced in his mind.

“You absolute piece of garbage, you wretched demonic abomination!! I have spent countless days waiting for the perfect opportunity to exact my vengeance upon your kind……!”

**Nam-hwa-seong** proceeded to violently stamp his boot into the motionless form of the Jiangshi repeatedly, using the corpse as a outlet for his unvented rage.

“Hey there! **Jin-so-un**! If you ran into a **Cheol-gang-si**, you absolutely should have stepped aside and left it for me to handle! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been honing my skills precisely for this moment……!”

“……Is that a fact?”

“You’re damn right it is!”

“Then you can rest easy. It appears there will be plenty more of them waiting for us deeper within these tunnels.”

As I gave a casual shrug of my shoulders, **Nam-hwa-seong** let out a confident snort, aggressively clenching his fists in a theatrical display of martial bravado.

“Excellent! Those miserable bastards! I will make absolutely sure they pay tenfold!”

Leaving the newly motivated warrior to his own devices, I looked down to re-examine the deceased Jiangshi that lay entirely still before me. A **Hwan-hon-cheol-gang-si**. The myriad of baffling riddles that had remained completely unanswered during my previous incarnation were finally being unraveled one after another. The cultists had intentionally funneled the forces of the Murim Alliance into this subterranean trap, only to subsequently let loose these undead anomalies.

*‘Now I understand precisely why that fellow **Yong-so-a** spoke those particular words.’*

Though it was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow, the predictions he made were not entirely erroneous, precisely as **Dang-seo-hee** had previously pointed out. Of course, I did not harbor even an ounce of regret regarding my choice to venture into this place.

“**Young Master Jin-nim**……”

**Moyong-seol** called out, her face still entirely drained of color.

“Everything is under control. There is absolutely no need for you to harbor any further anxieties.”

Because this time around, I had refused to leave her to face the darkness in isolation before departing. I felt no regrets whatsoever.

The Lord of Corpses, **Jang-o-geuk**, found himself utterly unable to believe the report he was hearing.

“Repeat what you just said.”

“Eighty-nine devoted servants of our Divine Cult have ascended to the grand beyond.”

The phrasing utilized by the subordinate sounded grand and celebratory, as though he were delivering news of a joyous milestone, yet the expression on the demonic messenger’s face was completely masked in profound grimness. After all, the finality of death was a harsh reality that no amount of elegant euphemisms could ever truly conceal.

“What is the underlying meaning behind those figures?”

There was absolutely no possibility that **Jang-o-geuk**, holding a esteemed position among the Seven Demonic Lords as the feared Lord of Corpses, failed to comprehend the traditional jargon utilized within the hierarchy of the Divine Cult. What he was genuinely questioning was the sheer absurdity of the current logistical reality.

“The main engagement hasn’t even properly commenced yet.”

When the internal chaos within the Sword Tomb first began to escalate and the localized skirmishes started to intensify, he had issued an explicit directive instructing all loyal disciples of the Divine Cult to withdraw to designated safe sectors. Had the foolish martial artists of the Central Plains managed to trigger an all-out bloodbath already, despite being completely incapable of withstanding the cognitive degradation caused by the **Musim-hwan-gak-san**?

“That is not the nature of the situation, My Lord. An unknown assailant is systematically and intentionally hunting down the disciples of our Cult.”

“Who would possess such suicidal audacity!”

“……As there are zero surviving witnesses from the encounters, we have been entirely unable to ascertain the culprit’s identity at this juncture.”

“*Heh*!”

The vast majority of the cultists deployed to secure the perimeter of the Sword Tomb were individuals who had thoroughly mastered specialized martial forms designed to conceal the telltale signatures of demonic qi. To put it plainly, their operational capabilities were advanced enough to warrant placement within elite detachments like the **Yeom-ma-gwi-an-dae** (Flame Demon Ghost Eye Unit) or the **Mu-hyeong-bi-ma-dae** (Formless Flying Demon Unit) for high-stakes covert operations.

“Are you suggesting that some unhinged lunatic, thoroughly consumed by the madness of this place, is executing a random purge?”

Given that nearly every prominent figure from the orthodox sects of the Central Plains had entered the structure, had one of those high-profile masters completely lost their sanity and initiated a reckless slaughter?

“Negative, My Lord. There are numerous orthodox martial artists navigating that exact same corridor who are surviving under perfectly normal conditions.”

“*Eh*?”

Upon hearing the messenger’s clarification, **Jang-o-geuk**’s brow knit together in a deep frown.

“If that is the case, are you telling me that the disciples of our glorious Cult are specifically… being targeted for assassination?”

“……”

Finding it incredibly difficult to give voice to such a humiliating and disastrous state of affairs, the messenger could only lower his gaze even closer to the stone floor.

“What manner of insignificant insect dares to perpetrate this!”

Even if the overall caliber of these particular cultists was considered lower due to their restricted use of potent demonic qi, they were certainly not weaklings who should be dying at the hands of mediocre Central Plains swordsmen. How could they possibly allow themselves to be butchered so easily, how dare they…….

“**Yong-so-a**! It must be that wretched individual!”

**Jang-o-geuk**’s voice, completely saturated with a rapidly mounting fury, boomed through the chamber with enough resonance to tear through the air. While the vast majority of the Central Plains orthodox crowd amounted to nothing more than trivial garbage when measured against the might of the Divine Cult, there was at least one individual who commanded a modicum of respect. And as fate would have it, that problematic individual was currently breathing inside the confines of the Sword Tomb.

“To think he would possess the utter gall to…… systematically hunt down the sworn disciples of the Divine Cult, when the only reason his miserable life has been preserved thus far is due to the profound benevolence of the **Soma**?”

Just as his volatile anger reached its boiling point, looking on the verge of erupting like a violent volcano.

“The evidence… it does not appear to point toward him, My Lord.”

“……?”

The messenger’s trembling voice intervened to deliver a completely fresh piece of data—or rather, an entirely impossible development.

“The primary reconnaissance group, which actively includes **Yong-so-a**, has successfully managed to reach the outer threshold of the exit.”

“They have reached the exit?”

The entire perimeter of the Murim Tomb was currently subjected to the active deployment of the **Hon-cheon-mi-ri-jin** (Heavenly Confusion Maze Formation). Over the course of the preceding three centuries, this intricate labyrinth of mechanical apparatuses and reality-warping gate arrays had been meticulously refined through the collaborative genius of the Divine Cult’s finest formation tacticians and master blacksmiths. It was regarded as an absolute masterpiece of engineering, incorporating the very pinnacle of their secret arts. Concurrently with shifting the geometric layouts of the paths in real-time, it acted to completely shatter the sensory perceptions of anyone already suffering from the effects of the **Musim-hwan-gak-san**. To put it another way, it functioned as a legendary, inescapable grand formation designed explicitly to lure martial artists inward like fish entering a wicker trap, offering absolutely zero pathways for escape. And yet.

“……Are you telling me that they are currently bypassing those parameters entirely?”

Such a claim sounded infinitely more preposterous than the notion of a simple fish trapped deep within a massive net managing to swim upstream against a roaring current to locate a microscopic tear and escape into freedom.

“What are your explicit instructions, My Lord?”

“*Heh*……”

The mere fact that this particular development had been elevated directly to his personal attention meant that their trajectory was undeniably bringing them straight toward the outer threshold. To think that **Yong-so-a** was interspersed among a gathering capable of executing such a logically impossible feat. It forced him to re-evaluate the man’s capabilities with a fresh sense of wonder.

“It would appear he possesses hidden talents that we failed to account for.”

Were it not for some extraordinary variable, no mortal could ever hope to defy the spatial manipulation of the **Hon-cheon-mi-ri-jin** through sheer human effort alone.

“Would it be wise to redirect our **Cheol-gang-si** forces to intercept them at that location?”

“……”

**Jang-o-geuk** lapsed into a silent, analytical reverie. Would deploying the **Cheol-gang-si** units actually suffice to apprehend someone of **Yong-so-a**’s caliber?

*‘No, they wouldn’t be able to pin him down.’*

If that were the case, what alternative course of action would yield the absolute premium outcome for their agenda?

“There is no need to panic. In fact, it might prove quite advantageous to allow one or two splinter groups to break clean out of the structure and spread rumors that they successfully retrieved ancient legacies.”

Coincidentally, the specific contingent **Yong-so-a** had aligned himself with currently held possession of two ancient heritages. It was a foregone conclusion that all the other greedy fools who caught wind of such a tantalizing bait would swarm into the trap with even greater recklessness.

“Be that as it may, allowing our loyal followers to be slaughtered in this manner remains an unacceptable loss.”

“……”

Given that the revered **Soma** had personally taken an interest in this location, he believed that merely securing the minimum baseline objectives would not be deemed satisfactory by the high command. While executing **Yong-so-a** on the spot would have constituted the absolute ideal resolution, producing a massive, overarching strategic triumph would ensure that the hierarchy of the Divine Cult granted this Lord of Corpses, **Jang-o-geuk**, an even greater degree of prestige and authority.

“What is the current status of the **Naeng-ok-hwan** (Cold Jade Ring)?”

The messenger’s shoulders visibly tensed, a primal dread washing over him at the mere mention of the entity.

“He has successfully concluded his scheduled execution trials and is currently preparing his return sequence.”

“Instruct him to postpone his departure immediately.”

“For what purpose, My Lord?”

“Seeing as someone has seen fit to terminate the lives of our Cult’s irreplaceable assets, do you truly believe it is acceptable to let those responsible exit this mortal coil in a peaceful manner?”

The messenger instantly threw both of his hands into the air, his posture radiating absolute devotion and awe.

“The Divine Cult reigns supreme under heaven, and all demonic entities bow before its majesty!”

The contours of **Jang-o-geuk**’s mouth twisted into a grotesque, highly satisfied sneer as he took in the sight of his subordinate’s absolute submission.

“Go. Introduce them to a level of absolute despair against which they are entirely powerless to resist.”

“I shall execute your grand design without delay!”

—