Chapter 151: Escape |
The successors began to enter the exit leading upwards, climbing the stairs without hesitation.
In truth, they had no guarantee that it was an exit.
They could only hope that these stairs led to the surface.
It was unclear how deep they had descended, but the end of the stairs was not in sight.
As time passed, even the successors who had mastered light footwork began to pant.
Not to mention those who were injured.
“P-please take me with you…”
Eventually, a straggler emerged.
Tragically, it was Yang Gu-jeon, who had thrown his sword at Namgung Shin.
Jeong Myeong, who was supporting the group from the rear, stopped.
The stairs below were collapsing in real time.
Just as he was about to go down to help Yang Gu-jeon.
Koo-goo-goo-goo—
The ceiling collapsed.
Yang Gu-jeon was crushed in the crevice of rocks without even a chance to scream.
Jeong Myeong was frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
“Shaolin’s First Fist!”
The one who called his nickname was Baek Ha-jun.
Ha-jun was looking down at Jeong Myeong, his face shadowed by the backlight.
“Hurry up.”
“…”
Yang Gu-jeon’s fate wouldn’t have been good even if he had lived, excluding the fact that his right arm was severed.
He had thrown his blade at a successor of the Namgung Noble Clan, causing him to be hit by a hidden weapon, and because of that, two successors from the Moyong and Baek Noble Clans got involved.
The three entangled would surely die.
Jeong Myeong ran with a stern expression.
He couldn’t see the expression of Baek Ha-jun, who was running ahead.
Baek Ha-jun and Jeong Myeong took the lead.
Peng Mu-ah, who had been leading earlier, shouted. The path ahead was blocked by a collapse.
“The way ahead is blocked!”
She was holding her blade drawn.
“Both of you, help me out.”
The tachi was a great blade too long for her body. Peng Mu-ah held it sideways and ran towards the rocks blocking the way.
Jeong Myeong was shocked when he realized what she was about to do.
“Don’t tell me…!”
“Let’s go too.”
Baek Ha-jun followed Peng Mu-ah, and Jeong Myeong followed him.
Peng Mu-ah pulled her long tachi to the side with a screech.
The tip of the blade drew a strange curve, scraping the ground.
Sparks flew as the stone floor was scraped, and her body spun around.
This was the Peng Clan’s secret technique, the Five Tigers Breaking The Gate Blade.
It used rotational force to contain power that ordinary techniques could not produce. The reason for using such a large tachi was solely to properly unleash the power of the Five Tigers Breaking The Gate Blade.
Even so, the act of trying to cut through a rock with a sword seemed reckless.
Kwa-ga-gak—!
However, Peng Mu-ah achieved an unbelievable result.
The tachi pierced through the rock. Spiderweb-like cracks formed around the scar where the blade was embedded.
Jeong Myeong instinctively realized it was his turn.
He pulled his right hand toward his side.
His tightly clenched fist was covered in calluses.
The pure internal energy of a Buddhist gathered along the meridians honed by the reverse tendon technique.
From his fist, the Vajra Fist was unleashed.
The moment Jeong Myeong’s fist hit the rock, a faint golden light flashed.
Quang!
The fact that the rock had crumbled and blocked the path meant that the ground itself was unstable.
A massive rock collapsed, creating a passage, but just as many rocks fell down.
It was Ha-jun’s sword that stopped them.
The Heaven’s Shadow Sword Technique came from his hand, shattering all the falling rocks.
It was a marvel performed with a single sword.
The offensive of the three continued fluidly, allowing the escape to proceed.
Koo-goo-gung!
Such ominous sounds rang out occasionally.
It was like the roar of an explosion.
But the successors did not stop.
Rocks occasionally blocked the way, but those in front could be shattered by the power of the successors.
How far had they climbed?
The distance they had descended over several days could be covered in less than an hour by climbing the stairs.
It was somewhat an anticlimactic realization.
They didn’t realize they had successfully escaped until they reached the surface. It was still dawn, before the sun had risen.
“Ah…”
But the stars in the sky over the Great Separation Mountain and the slightly warmer temperature—and above all, the dizzying scent of the forest informed them that they had made it to the surface.
“W-we made it out.”
“This…”
The successors, covered in blood and filth, felt pitiful under this clear sky.
Some sat down on the ground, while others gasped for air, staring at the moon they hadn’t seen in a while.
The place they had escaped from looked like a natural cave.
But it had completely collapsed inside, making it impossible to enter again.
Then, several torches surrounded the successors.
A thunderous shout came.
“Who are you! Kneel and identify yourselves!”
Had bandits appeared in this Great Separation Mountain area?
That wasn’t the case. Those surrounding the successors were warriors of the Murim Alliance, specifically the Righteous Heaven Guard Squad.
One warrior, seemingly in charge, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Aren’t you the successors who entered the Five Elements Tomb!”
Baek Ha-jun frowned as they brought the torches closer to see the faces.
“How did you survive… Heaven has aided you!”
Their expressions showed they had no idea the successors had survived.
The ones who suffered because the Five Elements Tomb collapsed were the successors. Yet, it was unclear why those resting on the surface had such a reaction.
“Heaven aiding us? We need to go back in.”
“Go back in? Hasn’t the entrance already collapsed?”
“My brother and others are still inside. We must save them,” Baek Ha-jun said with a blazing look in his eyes.
If possible, he was ready to re-enter the Five Elements Tomb with them right away.
The guard member became flustered and then showed a troubled expression.
“Even if you go back…”
“The situation is urgent.”
“I’m sorry, but they… might not be alive. It’s a miracle that you all made it out…”
The guard member gestured to Baek Ha-jun, pointing and gritting his teeth.
It was a gesture to look behind.
Baek Ha-jun did so.
“…Ah.”
And just like that, he froze.
On the opposite side of the cave from where they had emerged.
There lay a vast gorge.
No, it wasn’t exactly a gorge. It only appeared to be one.
It seemed as if a dragon had descended to the earth and clawed at the ground.
The slowly brightening dawn illuminated the devastation.
The guard added to the successors, who were frozen in place, “Just a moment ago, several explosives detonated simultaneously, causing the mountain to collapse.”
“The mountain collapsed…”
“It’s hard to believe even as I say it, but it’s true. It seems there was external intervention, so we deployed the Inescapable Net Formation.”
Baek Ha-jun’s gaze shifted.
Smoke was rising in places. The idea of the mountain collapsing, even with the use of explosives, was unthinkable. Even if the target was just one of the smaller peaks within the Great Separation Mountain.
It was only possible because the Five Elements Tomb below had collapsed.
“Unfortunately, they are already…”
The guard’s voice echoed distantly in Baek Ha-jun’s ears.
Thud.
Ha-jun finally fell to his knees.
An emergency was declared in the Murim Alliance.
It started with a sudden explosion.
One of the peaks of the Great Separation Mountain, likely where the Five Elements Tomb was presumed to be located, was the epicenter.
The guards on duty turned to see acrid smoke rising from the base of the mountain.
And then, explosions and flames burst out in succession. It was clearly an artificial explosion.
A mountain peak had collapsed, and a valley that had not existed before appeared, filled with mud and broken trees instead of clear water.
It was assumed that all the successors who had entered the Five Elements Tomb had died.
An investigation began under that assumption.
There wasn’t much to discover from the investigation.
“What have you done!” Namgung Yu-baek, the Vice Alliance Leader, shouted.
The face of the person being scolded turned deathly pale.
It was Go Yeon-shin, the leader of the Righteous Heaven Guard Squad, known as the Indestructible Guardian. Despite being a Supreme Peak master, he was content with his role as a squad leader.
He had left his duty as the Divine Monk’s escort to oversee the borders of the Great Separation Mountain.
“…I have nothing to say.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t. Do you know what this is?”
Namgung Yu-baek threw a half-burnt bundle of papers on the floor.
Go Yeon-shin humiliatingly picked it up. A pungent sulfur smell was noticeable.
“This is the paper wrapping the explosives. Someone installed explosives all over the Great Separation Mountain. It was clearly planned!”
“…”
“And you missed it with your eyes open?”
Go Yeon-shin knelt down abruptly.
He was strong yet straightforward and naive by nature.
His face showed shock at the thought that his mistake had killed thirty successors.
Moreover, among those was the nephew of the Vice Alliance Leader himself, leaving no room for excuses.
Go Yeon-shin pressed his forehead to the ground.
“I will take full responsibility!”
“Squad Leader Go…”
Someone supported Go Yeon-shin.
It was the Left Guardian Iron Mountain Old Man.
The Vice Alliance Leader and the Left Guardian’s eyes met. Anger was apparent in Namgung Yu-baek’s expression.
However, the Left Guardian felt a sense of unease.
“Left Guardian, send a message to the Alliance Leader immediately.”
“I will do so.”
“And prepare to inform all major sects and clans of the disaster…”
Someone entered the tent at that moment.
Namgung Yu-baek frowned.
“What’s the matter!”
“Th-they’ve come!”
“They’ve come? Who are you talking about!”
“The successors have survived and come up!”
At those words, everyone stared in shock at the guard who had rushed in.
Therefore, no one saw the distortion in Namgung Yu-baek’s expression.
He quickly composed his face.
“Did everyone make it back alive?”
“Not everyone, only ten!”
A mix of regretful sighs and sighs of relief burst out simultaneously.
Namgung Yu-baek carefully listened to what the squad members had confirmed.
Who hadn’t been able to escape—and the story that Namgung Shin seemed to have died after finding the Five Elements Divine Art.
A very faint smile passed across Namgung Yu-baek’s lips.
“Indeed, I must meet the survivors.”
Before leaving the tent, he paused and said, “Righteous Heaven Guard Squad Leader Go Yeon-shin is to be confined for the time being. Punishment will follow later.”
“…”
“And, the Secretariat is to send messages to the sects and clans of the deceased to inform them of the current situation.”
People were taken aback.
If it became known that the successors had died due to a conspiracy by some power, it would not end as a trivial matter.
“Raise the Murim Alliance’s alertness to the highest.”
With those words, Namgung Yu-baek left the tent.
Everyone sensed it.
A war might break out in the peaceful martial world.
Baek Ryu-san and the Baek Noble Clan, Moyong Noble Clan, and the Nine Great Sects that lost their disciples, they would gather their warriors here in Kaifeng.
And Yi-gang, who jumped into the dark hole—
He took out the Poison Resistance Bead and put it in his pocket.
Indeed, the air that entered through his nose did not smell of the corpse poison at all.
Instead, there was the moist smell of water and the fragrance of grass.
If this hole was connected to the corpse poison pit, that wouldn’t be possible.
Yi-gang’s hips hit something at an angle.
His body bent sharply, feeling the pressure. If he had been biting on the Poison Resistance Bead, he might have accidentally spat it out or crushed it.
The hole was not vertical. It sloped diagonally as if someone had anticipated someone entering.
Like sliding down an endlessly dizzying slide, Yi-gang fell.
“Aaaaah!”
A scream from Moyong Jin could be heard from above.
The fall was terrifying to that extent.
「There was such a space.」
‘Of course, I thought there would be. If there are the Life Gate and Death Gate, there must be the Rest Gate too.’
The Rest Gate, not as much as the Life Gate but a place where one could potentially exit alive. The only option Yi-gang could choose there was the Rest Gate.
He had somewhat guessed the secrets of the Five Elements Tomb.
Originally, it must have been a very complex natural cave. The modification was the work of the Master of the Ghost Valley.
However, the last place where the Five Elements Divine Lord went seemed to have taken especially great effort to construct.
Besides the Five Elements Divine Art that Yi-gang now had in his pocket, there was certainly another purpose for this place.
He could only hope that this slippery hole was related to that purpose.
“There must be groundwater below!” Yi-gang shouted, hoping Moyong Jin could hear him.
Below the corpse poison pit, there would be flowing groundwater. It had to have been designed that way.
“Try to swim well!”
“Aaaaah!”
The problem was not knowing in what form it would flow.
It could be a torrent fierce enough to turn a person into pieces of meat, or there might be no space to breathe, only water.
「Did Namgung Shin die, I wonder?」
‘Must have been his fate.’
It would be difficult for Namgung Shin to survive.
There was no room to worry about him in the first place.
Yi-gang saw the gleaming surface of the water.
Splash!
It wasn’t just a splash; a different sound resounded too.
Due to gravity and inertia, Yi-gang’s body was dragged deep into the water. In the bone-chilling cold water, Yi-gang opened his eyes.
It was a bright blue and transparent underwater world.
Being able to see meant that there was light.
Yi-gang, enduring the nausea-inducing pain, made his way up to the surface.
“Pu-ha!”
After a few violent coughs, he could finally see his surroundings.
Yi-gang had fallen into a tranquil underground lake.
And around the lake…
“What is this…”
An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
