Sound and scent.
The light stretched out and pierced through the fog.
The crimson light was truly alien.
If asked whether it shone brightly, it did not; and yet,
within that hazy glow, there was abundant clarity.
It was a truly contradictory light.
"...Why is that?"
As I tried to move my steps bit by bit, Namgung Bia asked me from behind.
"What do you mean, it's just that up ahead..."
The words I was about to ask stalled on my tongue.
There was no way she couldn't see such a clear light.
Only then did I narrow my eyes and ask Namgung Bia,
"Hey, can't you see that?"
"...?"
At my question, Namgung Bia tilted her head as if asking what I was talking about.
It seemed she really couldn't see it after all.
'Is it only visible to me?'
It meant I was the only one seeing a light shining so openly.
[What do you keep saying you see?]
'It seems Noya can't see it either.'
If even Noya, who shared my vision, couldn't see this, could this also be an ability of the bead?
Whether that was right or not.
'For now, I should follow it.'
There was no other way at the moment.
To find a path in this crazy fog, I had to try something, anything.
'Since expanding my qi sense has become completely useless.'
My internal energy was circulating fine, but using it to scout the surroundings wasn't working properly.
There was probably something in the fog currently filling the surroundings.
'Right, fog that had persisted for hundreds of years couldn't possibly be normal.'
This mess made it understandable why Heukya Palace had established their main palace here.
Even if their main palace was somewhere in the Mudong Mountain Range,
not only would it not be easily found,
but if they had set up formations here as well, there'd be no way to easily discover it.
I tightly grabbed Namgung Bia's wrist from behind.
"Follow me closely."
I raised my qi sense as much as I possibly could.
I couldn't feel it properly, but I could see to some extent.
It was only right in front of my nose, but since this was a mountain range with unknown geography, even this was considerably helpful.
Holding Namgung Bia's arm like that, I carefully advanced forward.
Even though I was dragging her along without any explanation,
Namgung Bia showed no dissatisfaction about it.
Perhaps because I'd nagged her so much about being terrible with directions, she was reading the mood.
After that, I walked for a long while through the fog.
A distance that would have normally been covered in a few leaps.
Progress was almost nonexistent because I had to advance so cautiously.
[Truly, this is a terrible fog.]
'Yes, it's absolutely disgusting.'
[This is the trace of a demon beast?]
'Yes.'
This special fog was created in the past, when a white-grade Demon Realm Gate opened.
It was a trace left after the demon beast that had jumped out from there died.
Historically, the number of white demon beasts was countable on one hand, and all were successfully sealed or subjugated,
but as if proving how tremendous their strength was, they left traces on this world even after death.
The fog of the Mudong Mountain Range was one such case.
The cold slumbering in the North Sea was also such a trace.
The searing heat in the west was the same.
That they could influence nature even after death—truly absurd.
At this, Shin Noya clicked his tongue.
He seemed displeased about something.
[Tsk, these bastards should have cleaned up the aftermath neatly, but this is no way to finish a job.]
Fog covering an entire mountain range.
Noya was saying this was because they hadn't properly cleaned up after subjugating the demon beast.
Of course, subjugating a single disaster known as a white demon beast was clearly an enormous feat in itself,
but if Noya said such a thing, I had to understand.
[Anyway, in my day... After getting rid of those bastards, I made sure to clean up the aftermath properly. But these youngsters... Tsk tsk.]
In the past, during the era when Shin Noya fought against the Blood Demon.
It was also an era when demon beasts of especially high ranks frequently appeared.
Since Noya had been active as the Huashan Sword Immortal,
he must have had experience facing white demon beasts.
Moreover, evidence that it was truly so was spread all over the world.
You could tell just by looking at the current Mudong Mountain Range.
'You have a point.'
[Hm? What is this? For the brat to agree with me...]
'Right? You should have cleaned up the aftermath a little better.'
[...Hm?]
Noya expressed doubt, as if unable to understand my words.
The demon beast that turned the mountain range into this state was one called Muryong.
A creature that, after death, covered the mountain range with fog as if laying down a curse,
and was also the white demon beast subjugated by Shin Cheol, the Huashan Sword Immortal.
[...]
When I conveyed this fact, Shin Noya said nothing for a while.
He seemed to know it was embarrassing for himself too.
Having walked following the light for a while,
walking with the quieted Shin Noya and Namgung Bia, who was originally taciturn, I had unknowingly reached the edge.
'Time... how much has passed?'
Though I couldn't be sure because of the excessive fog, seeing the view gradually darken,
night would arrive soon.
'Making camp...'
I could if I tried, but the situation wasn't good.
First, the Bead of the Heavenly Road was no longer working properly.
The light was still properly showing the way, however.
Even though color had properly returned to the bead, I couldn't know what Gu Huibi was experiencing as before.
The view wasn't changing.
Which meant.
'Is there some problem?'
There might be a usage limit on the bead or something,
but I didn't think that was the case at present.
Then, it was possible there was some problem with Gu Huibi's condition.
This was merely a possibility that it might be so,
but regardless, it was a situation where I had lost the only information I thought I had.
As such, I had to find a way to break through the situation somehow,
but it wasn't easy to proceed in the current situation.
The fog was already a problem, and now night had come as well.
It was truly a situation where I couldn't see an inch ahead.
'The bead's light is a problem too.'
A beam of light illuminating the front as if showing the location.
But, since some point, I had the illusion that we were going in circles.
If the light was wrong, that wasn't it.
Rather, the light seemed to be showing the correct path, but...
"Tch."
As I frowned looking around, Namgung Bia asked.
"...Why is that?"
"I think there's a formation."
I felt a subtle atmosphere.
It was so minute that one couldn't notice without concentrating.
Since I was already convinced there would be a formation, I was able to catch that minute gap.
However.
'How am I supposed to break this and get in?'
That was the problem.
If this place was indeed the main palace,
it wouldn't be strange if there weren't only formations but also martial artists of Heukya Palace nearby.
I had to move while being vigilant of the surroundings.
Thick fog that rendered sensory perception useless.
Darkness covering what little view I had.
And the tension of being isolated in the midst of advancing.
'This is the worst.'
Ha.
It was the worst situation, enough to draw a hollow laugh.
But this wasn't the time to be crawling on the ground led by emotions.
'I have to find a way.'
I'd always been better than anyone at struggling.
Something like this didn't bother me now.
'What should I do?'
If there's a formation ahead, can I break it by force?
'That would be reckless.'
If I failed, I might unnecessarily catch their attention.
If, by any chance, I broke the formation,
they would know from the recoil of the formation collapsing.
'Then what should I do?'
I had absolutely no professional knowledge regarding formations.
If I recalled my past life.
'...I just had to break in by force.'
The majority of solutions had been crude, so they were no help in the current situation.
In my past life, I'd just tear through formations and burn everything down.
Even before becoming the Demon Lord, whenever such things happened, Jamryong had handled everything.
Thinking of this, I was reminded anew of how recklessly I'd acted in my past life; it was vexing.
'For now... should I wait?'
No matter how urgent the situation, since night had fallen, there was no immediate solution after all.
Moreover, I wasn't at a level where I could withstand what would happen if I forced my way in recklessly.
'...I'm not alone, either.'
I had to judge a bit more rationally.
Finishing my thoughts, I spoke to Namgung Bia behind me.
"For now, let's find a safe place and wait for daybreak... what are you doing?"
Namgung Bia was looking around and sniffing with her nose.
At that absurd sight, I immediately asked,
"What are you doing right now...?"
"Searching... for scent..."
"Searching for a scent? What scent?"
Why does she keep doing this?
Thinking so, I unconsciously sniffed along with Namgung Bia, but
I couldn't smell anything special.
I only felt the unique grassy smell of the forest.
"What on earth do you smell...?"
Just as I was about to ask what on earth was going on,
Shiiing.
Suddenly, Namgung Bia drew her sword.
Then, Namgung Bia's hair fluttered slightly as if brushed by the wind,
and in an instant, lightning qi enveloped her sword, spreading a tingling sensation around.
Startled, I shouted at Namgung Bia,
"Hey, what are you doing!"
Lightning qi is eye-catching by its very nature,
and its energy is exceptionally distinct, so if controlled even slightly poorly, the surroundings would easily notice.
Despite my shout, Namgung Bia was looking at one spot with an impassive face.
Namgung Bia, who had been quietly staring into the air, spoke.
"Here."
"Here my ass, put away your energy first, if we get caught like this—!"
As if not hearing me, Namgung Bia swung the sword containing lightning qi into the air without hesitation.
Then.
Sshhk.
"...!"
Though she had only cut through the air, somehow a sound of something being sliced was heard.
At the same time, a white curtain slowly descended in the air.
"...This is."
An absurd situation.
A transparent barrier disappeared at the tip of Namgung Bia's sword, creating a minute space.
It was shaped exactly like a door.
"What on earth is this... how did you know about this?"
I asked Namgung Bia as I looked at it.
"...It smelled."
I frowned at Namgung Bia's words.
Because it was incomprehensible.
What Namgung Bia had just done was find an unstable gap in the formation and cut it with sword qi.
Not only would there be a backlash if swung incorrectly,
gaps in formations shouldn't be visible to the human eye in the first place.
Not only finding it, but succeeding in cutting it?
Seeing that, I couldn't help but recall someone.
'Jamryong.'
The insane bastard of the century born of Wudang.
In my past life, that guy had also solved formations in this manner.
Looking around and roughly cutting through the air,
I recalled him saying it was solved.
It remained in my memory because I'd had terrible luck with it.
I'd even asked Jamryong because I couldn't understand it at all.
How on earth he did it.
His answer was a sight to behold.
—Listen well to the sound. Then you'll hear it.
—What do I hear, the sound of my stomach bursting?
—I've been hearing that well since earlier.
—You little...?
Jamryong's face looking at me and cackling came to mind, souring my mood instantly.
'Leaving that aside...'
Anyway, comparing what Namgung Bia just said,
—It smelled.
—I heard a sound.
Somehow, it felt extremely similar to Jamryong's case.
Namgung Bia looked at me like that and said,
"Aren't... you going in?"
The empty space Namgung Bia created was slowly closing up.
Since she hadn't destroyed the formation but momentarily created a gap, it would likely fill back up.
Borrowing from what Jamryong did in my past life, after it closed, it probably couldn't be made in the same spot again.
In that case, they would mostly catch on from the other side.
Seeing this, there was no time to hesitate.
"...We have to go."
I followed Namgung Bia into the space.
And the place I followed into
was completely different from outside the formation.
Thud.
With time, the Palace Lord's steps, which had been moving, suddenly stopped.
"Palace Lord?"
At this, the old man following behind, Taejeolgwi, called out to the Palace Lord, but
the Palace Lord was looking around with a strange expression.
Taejeolgwi could tell.
The direction the Palace Lord's gaze was directed now was not the palace wall, but beyond it.
The Palace Lord looked like that for a moment, then soon withdrew his gaze and looked ahead again.
"...Taejeolgwi."
"Yes, Palace Lord."
"Check the formation later."
"...Understood."
Taejeolgwi received the order but felt doubt inwardly.
'A formation.'
He had checked it personally even recently, so there shouldn't be anything strange.
Why had the Palace Lord given such an order?
He was curious about the intention, but such thoughts were soon forgotten.
The old man simply had to do as the Palace Lord ordered.
The Palace Lord moved his steps again.
The destination was naturally 'that' room.
Unsurprisingly, the Palace Lord sought out the room he had visited yesterday.
The Palace Lord thought as he approached the door.
'By now, it should be finished.'
A day—about that much time should have been sufficient for that person to consume the flame.
As the Palace Lord drew closer to his destination, he felt his heart pounding.
Recalling his Heaven that would reveal a more perfect form,
the Palace Lord felt longing.
Kuuung!
Once again, the massive door operated.
The Palace Lord opened the door and slowly entered the room.
Kung!
The door closed the moment the Palace Lord entered.
At this, the Palace Lord immediately knelt down and faced his Heaven.
"Heaven... I..."
The Palace Lord, who had opened his mouth, stopped at the scene before him.
At the same time, horror seeped into the Palace Lord's face.
In the space that should have been filled only with darkness, light had entered.
A deep purple flame was illuminating the room.
This flame was clearly the Sacred Fire that his Heaven had ignited.
From the center of that light, a voice was heard.
"...What kind of book is this hard, isn't there anything else?"
"Book."
"No, I mean, are there no other books besides this?"
"None."
"...Your words are disgustingly short. Didn't I tell you to speak in sentences of two syllables or more?"
"There aren't."
"Yes, well done."
Gu Huibi, who should have already become one with Heaven and disappeared from this world long ago, was sitting comfortably in the room,
and upon Gu Huibi's lap sat his Heaven.