Chapter 327 - Hunting Divine Spirits (2)

"P-Please... do not lie to me."

Yang Japyeong's eyes were shaking violently.

"Why would I lie?"

"To sense a spiritual vein, one must have unceasing time and effort, and an eternity of patience that casts oneself into pain..."

"No, I'm telling you I can sense it."

I moved a short distance as I spoke.

"Here, a spiritual vein about this large is flowing, and over here, a thin one about this size is flowing. Am I wrong?"

"It took me three years just to enter the path..."

Yang Japyeong only muttered incomprehensible words with a dazed expression.

It felt a little awkward to ask him anything more, so I began looking into it myself.

"How fascinating."

Just as Yang Japyeong had said, the Black Forest's spiritual veins were affecting the entire forest.

They did not grow thinner the higher they rose, like air; rather, as if that space itself were a vessel holding the spiritual vein, I could feel the energy of the spiritual vein evenly from beneath the ground to the tips of the trees.

'So there was a reason natural arrays were forming all throughout the forest.'

Not only the animals and insects, but even the trees and grass roots received the energy of the spiritual vein.

Those beings that received the energy of the spiritual vein created strange phenomena that could not be seen in the Central Plains.

And what formed in those places were natural arrays.

When I stretched out my hand and put it into a natural array, the distortion of space became clear.

'No wonder it is impossible to find the way.'

When I took a step forward, the strange phenomenon became even more distinct.

The spiritual vein beneath my feet told me to go left, but the path through the forest was shaped like a straight line.

The moment one stepped forward according to the visual information given, one lost one's bearings.

Since one's sense of direction itself was twisted, the height or lowliness of one's martial arts level became meaningless.

Only the spiritual vein told the direction and pointed to the correct path.

That was the reason only the South Fist Sect could manage the Black Forest.

"... Impossible... A lie..."

Yang Japyeong, still unable to face reality, blankly muttered to himself.

At that moment.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

A tremendous explosion rang out from deep in the distant forest.

Until now, I had kept hearing shouts and the sound of trees falling, but this was the first time it had sounded this loud.

Yang Japyeong, who had been standing there dazed, also rose from his seat and looked toward the place where the noise had come from.

"I will go take a look for a moment."

Yang Japyeong untied the thick rope hanging from his waist, wrapped it around a tree, and quickly climbed up.

'Huh, that speed is almost beyond what you would get from using the Flying Dragon Claw.'

As I watched that peculiar Gecko Wall Art for a moment, Yang Japyeong, who had gone up the tree, came back down shortly afterward.

His expression was utterly dumbfounded.

"It seems... they have encountered a spirit."

Then he quietly gauged my mood.

"Why are you doing that?"

"I was afraid... you might say we should go..."

Good grief, what did he take me for?

No matter how mad I was for spiritual elixirs, what use was any of it if my life was in danger?

Moreover, the junior disciples of the Taiyi Sect and my group members were here as well.

I shook my head with an obedient attitude.

"Do not worry. Great Warrior Yang clearly said it was dangerous, did you not? And the chances of succeeding in the hunt are low as well."

"... That is true."

"Then I will trust Great Warrior Yang."

"..."

It seemed Yang Japyeong had been anxiously worried that I might set out to hunt after becoming able to read the spiritual veins.

Looking at his relieved face, I asked once more.

"It really is dangerous, right?"

"..."

"It is definitely hard to hunt too, yes?"

"..."

"We are certain to fail. Right?"

"..."

Yang Japyeong somehow wore an expression that looked as if he had transcended everything.

Still, it was better to be certain.

I asked again.

"Please tell me I cannot do it."

#

Night, when everyone was asleep.

I quietly opened my eyes and checked the night watch. As scheduled, Eun Seollan was standing watch.

This was exactly why I had opened my eyes at this hour.

Seollan had the weakest senses, at least.

I rolled over.

Then I suppressed my presence as much as possible and began crawling away stealthily.

To think crawling forward on a battlefield would help at a time like this.

I became a little grateful to those demonic practitioner bastards.

The next time I met them, I would definitely smash their heads in.

After moving about ten zhang like that, I rose to my feet and began using Turtle Breath Footwork, and after thirty zhang, I ran while using World-Traversing Lone Footwork.

'It was definitely that way.'

Following the flow of the spiritual vein rising from deep underground, I retraced the path we had walked during the day.

When night fell in the already dark Black Forest, truly nothing could be seen.

There were only insects and flying bugs that gave off light from time to time.

But this made moving even easier.

Since my vision was not being confused, I only had to follow the flow of the spiritual vein.

After running at full speed for about 15 minutes like that, I arrived at the place where the corpse of the Black-Red Snake we had hunted in the afternoon lay.

"Heh heh. This means I can come on my own now."

Then I moved a little distance away and dug up the ground where Yang Japyeong had buried the poison core.

When I scraped away a little earth, the poison core, giving off an ominous green glow, revealed itself.

"Heh heh..."

Ever since I had become able to read spiritual veins, I had been waiting only for night to come.

Because now I could absorb poison cores as much as I wanted while avoiding people's eyes.

Moreover, if I used the Jade Dragon Bracelet, there was no need to circulate my qi to dissolve the poison core.

I would just gulp down the poison core and leave, so there would be no reason to draw suspicion.

'I will just say I went to relieve myself.'

As a result of moving diligently like that, in less than an hour, I absorbed all the poison cores of the Flying Red Snake, Blue-Yin Single-Horned Snake, Single-Horned Monstrous Dragon, and Three-Colored Poison Toad.

"Is there a set number of times for this too?"

I clenched and unclenched my left hand, checking the sensation.

For some reason, it felt like my sense of touch had dulled a little.

It also felt as if only my fingertips and palm had gone numb.

It seemed the sensation would probably return after some time passed.

Still, feeling the internal energy in my Dantian having increased a little, the numbness transmitted through my hand felt like nothing at all.

Well, it was not as though I could not use my hand just because I had lost a little feeling, right?

Instead, if my internal energy was full, I could smash my opponent's head more easily.

"Heh heh heh."

My regret over the spirit was filled to some extent with this.

Yes, rather than doing something dangerous, it was better to safely increase my internal energy.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Far off in the forest, light flashed for an instant along with an explosion.

"... Yes, safety first. Safety first."

Yang Japyeong was right.

A spirit was not something one could hunt.

Was that not obvious just from the mess those bastards were causing right now?

The explosions that shook the entire forest had already continued for three days. Day and night, no less.

There must certainly be those who had become trapped in natural arrays and lost their way during the hunt, and there must be those who had suffered deep wounds and whose lives were in danger.

But because of the spirit before their eyes, they could not bring themselves to stop the hunt.

"... Yes, this is right. This is the right thing."

I barely turned back my heavy feet that did not want to move and headed toward where my party was.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

For some reason, I was not in the mood to use World-Traversing Lone Footwork, so I just walked slowly.

On the way back as well, I was stepping forward while recalling the flow of the spiritual vein. Thanks to that, I was quickly able to stop paying attention to the sound of the spirit hunt.

"This forest really is a damn mess."

I was clearly walking the exact path I had taken earlier, yet it had changed into a different path from before.

Moreover, not a single trace remained of the sword cuts I had made while coming here.

It made me wonder whether it was truly possible to leave this forest without reading the flow of the spiritual veins.

I used my internal energy to raise my divine sense.

It burdened my head, but if I did this, I could feel the spiritual vein more clearly.

I had thought about asking Yang Japyeong about this, but I gave up.

He seemed not to know somehow.

Whenever I asked him about spiritual veins, his expression looked as if he were about to cry, beyond mere skepticism.

To think it took him three years. I could do it right away, tsk.

Soon, the spiritual veins I had faintly sensed became clearer.

Though I was not seeing them directly with my eyes, I could feel that they filled the entire Black Forest densely.

The sensation of being able to see without seeing was truly fascinating beyond words.

As I walked while examining the spiritual veins like that, something like a tiny star I had not seen on the way here was shining on the ground.

'What is that?'

When I slowly approached, I found that the energy of the spiritual vein had gathered together like jewels and was emitting light.

When I stopped reading the spiritual vein, the energy of the spiritual vein that had filled the Black Forest vanished, and the gathered light also disappeared without a trace.

And in the place that had shone like a star, there lay a fruit that looked like a cornelian cherry.

"Hmm..."

Yang Japyeong's words suddenly came to mind.

["Most beings in the Black Forest contain poison, so if you eat just anythi... Never mind."]

Yang Japyeong, who had stopped speaking midway.

He had probably wanted to warn me about poison.

Well, to me, who was already working on poison resistance, it was not something that hit very hard.

"Heh heh..."

I absorbed one of the fruits with the Jade Dragon Bracelet.

'Ooh.'

A warm energy surged into my hand and was absorbed into my Dantian.

I did not feel the unique cold energy of poison cores.

'I might be able to eat this too.'

When I picked another fruit and put it in my mouth, a short while later, a hot energy slowly rose from within my stomach.

It had the same effect as the spiritual elixirs commonly spoken of in the Central Plains.

"Well, since the Black Forest's spiritual vein affects everything, there must be spiritual elixirs like this too."

With a thought of just in case, I headed toward where my group members were while checking whether any beings buried underground were shining.

Spiritual elixirs like wild ginseng or fleeceflower root usually grew underground, after all.

'There are none.'

I had walked quite a long distance while carefully examining the ground, but I did not find even one root of wild ginseng or fleeceflower root.

Once again, I thought the Black Forest truly was a wretched place.

The spiritual vein dwelled in places like cornelian cherry fruits, yet its power did not dwell in common wild ginseng or fleeceflower root.

What kind of willful forest was this?

In any case, that dissatisfaction lasted only a moment.

I used Turtle Breath Footwork and carefully returned to the campsite.

"Where have you been..."

"Ugh, you startled me."

"... Why are you so surprised?"

Yang Japyeong was staring fixedly at me from within the darkness.

'Damn it.'

The only drawback of Turtle Breath Footwork. It could hide one's presence, but it could not hide one's appearance.

"Ah... Haha, I was just relieving myself for a moment..."

"While using stealth arts?"

"Ah! In case someone else woke up."

Would this not be seen as the academy representative being considerate of others?

"... For two whole hours?"

Huh? Had that much time already passed?

As I tilted my head, Yang Japyeong's voice sank even lower.

"Where... are you coming back from?"

Yang Japyeong took one large step closer.

Since he had warned me several times about safety each time, it seemed he did not like that I had been wandering around the Black Forest on my own.

Hmm... How should I explain this?

I could not say that I had gone out to absorb poison cores.

'Ah!'

Just then, I remembered the cornelian cherry fruits I had put into my robes.

"Actually, I saw this during the day, so I was on my way back from picking it."

"What is that?"

"It seems to be a fruit infused with the energy of the spiritual vein. It also seems to help increase internal energy a little."

"... Are you saying you deliberately went to pick that in the middle of the night?"

Well, it did not make sense. I could have picked it during the day, so why deliberately...

But how many years had I worked in the Minor Orthodox Unit, where lies were daily life? It would make no sense if I could not overcome a crisis of this level.

"Actually, I wanted to avoid the children's eyes a little."

"Why?"

Yang Japyeong's gaze became even more suspicious.

"Though they were spiritual pills no bigger than millet grains, Great Warrior Yang has not eaten even one of them all this time, has he?"

"..."

Since Yang Japyeong had not helped in hunting the demonic beasts, he had excluded himself every time from the order of eating spiritual pills.

So I attacked that point.

Was the best way to avoid suspicion not to make him harbor a different suspicion?

"I thought you could not eat them because of the children's eyes, so I deliberately moved like this at night."

"..."

Yang Japyeong's fierce gaze somehow twitched subtly.

"You have gone through so much trouble because of us, so I thought I should at least take care of something like this for you."

And soon, it changed gently.

"... I am fine..."

"Come now, when this is my sincerity..."

"No, even so..."

"Are you going to keep making my sincerity embarrassing?"

Good grief, I was telling him to set aside his refusal and eat.

Because I had to keep moving around at night from now on too.

It was better to make Yang Japyeong pretend not to know and let it pass.

"... Th-Then I will try just one."

Still doubtful, he put one fruit into his mouth and chewed.

Then, as if he soon felt it, his eyes shot wide open.

I smiled with satisfaction and nodded.

"Hurry and circulate your qi. The children will wake up."

After wavering, Yang Japyeong soon sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

This was also permission for me to continue absorbing poison cores from now on.

#

We finally entered the Demonic Realm.

As expected, once we entered the Demonic Realm, the number of demonic beasts appearing increased.

Still, there was no major problem.

The group members, who had now become half people of the Black Forest, hunted them with practiced skill, split open their bellies, removed the poison cores, and shared the spiritual pills.

Aside from that, there was nothing particularly special.

Originally, as the power of the spiritual veins grew stronger, it should have become more difficult to find the way.

"This way."

Because in our group, besides Yang Japyeong, there was one more person who could read the spiritual veins.

"Eunho."

"Yes, Eldest Senior Brother."

"Am I not rather amazing?"

"..."

In places where Yang Japyeong became confused, I helped him, and thanks to that, our exploration speed did not slow much even inside the Demonic Realm.

"... By the way, the commotion has stopped."

Namgung Seonhwa said as she looked toward one side of the forest.

Just as she said, the sound that had been ringing for four days and nights suddenly stopped at some point, and no more noise could be heard.

"... You are all right, aren't you, Young Master?"

For some reason, Namgung Seonhwa asked me the question.

I answered as if nothing were wrong.

"Ah, ah, wh-what reason would there be that I, I was not all riiight?"

"..."

I am not in pain. My stomach does not hurt at all.

Though it was nothing more than a formality, the map of the Demonic Realm was gradually beginning to be made, and once it was completed, our work in the Black Forest would be done.

Now we just had to return, spend the remaining days at the encampment, and then return to the academy.

"They say little grains of dust gather into Mount Tai... After gathering them like this, the amount really does seem quite substantial."

Those who had divided and taken the spiritual pills from the demonic beasts and the fruits I had gathered at night achieved a fairly satisfying increase in internal energy.

'Well, even so, it is nothing compared to me.'

What made me newly realize just how alien the Jade Dragon Bracelet was, was that I had not eaten a single spiritual pill or fruit, yet I had increased the greatest amount of internal energy among us.

Like that, after night fell and we made camp, we were spending time when—

RUSTLE.

I sensed a human presence in the forest.

All the group members raised their weapons at once and took guard.

A short while later, a familiar face appeared, pushing through the underbrush.

"... Instructor?"

Seong Moran tilted her head as she looked at Noh Jinha.

Understandably so, because his appearance was quite different from the Instructor Noh Jinha we had seen several days ago.

"What happened?"

A bandage was wrapped around one eye, and deep burn marks remained on his face.

With a vicious expression, he growled.

"Did the spirit come here?"

What nonsense was this now?

"Surely you lot did not hunt the spirit, did you?"

Noh Jinha and his party glared at me.

"Speak, Jin Sowoon. Did you catch the spirit?"

"What... kind of dogshit..."

Before I could even finish speaking, Saryeon strode forward.

"We did not see anything like a spirit."

"I will not forgive lies."

"Why would we deliberately lie? If we had caught it, it would actually be better for us to speak honestly. It is not as if we committed a great wrong."

At Saryeon's words, Noh Jinha's lips twitched, then he snorted and turned away.

"Well, there is no way mere small fry of the Taiyi Sect could hunt a spirit."

After spouting that bullshit, Noh Jinha soon disappeared between the bushes.

Seong Moran spoke as if quietly impressed.

"It seems the spirit hunt was not easy."

"I suppose so. If it is the current instructors, they should all be Hall Leader-class or higher from the Alliance... and many members of the Orthodox Council were mobilized as well."

I also agreed with their words and felt relieved.

If we had set out on the spirit hunt, we might have had to bear all that damage ourselves.

"If casualties occurred during the spirit hunt, the instructors would not be able to avoid responsibility either... Will they be all right?"

At Seong Moran's words, I curled up the corners of my mouth with satisfaction.

"Why should we care about that?"

One should take responsibility for one's own foolishness.

#

Darkness fell over the Black Forest again.

I slowly suppressed my presence and left my place.

Yang Japyeong, who woke every two hours, would notice that I had left my spot, but now it no longer mattered much.

Because the fruits I brought him each time had sealed his mouth tighter than a latch.

After entering the Demonic Realm, there were more demonic beasts, so I had to move more diligently than when we were in the Black Forest near the encampment, but it was not especially difficult.

Because that also meant more opportunities to absorb poison cores.

Once we went to the encampment, there would likely be many eyes watching, so I would not be able to wander around at night.

Therefore, this was my last chance to gather internal energy.

That was why I absorbed a total of eight poison cores until the feeling in my hand vanished completely, then calmly returned to where my group members were.

"There are not many fruits in the Demonic Realm."

In this Black Forest, where everything seemed to have grown however it pleased, there did not seem to exist even a speck of consistency.

The power of the spiritual veins was stronger, yet there were instead no fruits containing the power of the spiritual veins.

Still, I raised my divine sense as much as possible and was thoroughly examining the Demonic Realm when—

WHOOSH.

A bright blaze was shining intensely within the darkness.

"Hm?"

For a moment, I was confused.

What I was sensing right now was, after all, the flow of the spiritual veins.

There was no way I could see something like flames... so why was something like a torch shining?

When I calmed my divine sense, the torch vanished without a trace.

No way.

In that instant, I could feel my heart pounding harder than ever before.

'A spiritual vein of th-this magnitude...?'

I used Turtle Breath Footwork to its utmost and moved toward the torch of spiritual vein energy.

And the moment I drew close and calmed my divine sense to confirm its identity—

WHOOSH.

Something in the shape of a human rose from its place with a massive blaze wrapped around its body.

ROOOAAAR!

A being several times larger than a commonly known monkey.

That monkey was spewing flames from its entire body and glaring at me with savage eyes.

"... Huh?"

Why... are you here?