Chapter 66: The Tomb of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden (3)
“A space like this exists beneath the castle? I can't believe it.”
Upon entering the ruins, we were immediately struck dumb by the sheer scale of the cavern that greeted us.
“With this much space, you could easily relocate an entire village down here.”
“Astonishing. Just who in the world could have constructed something like this?”
It was vast enough to rival the secret underground chambers of the main Thousand-Day Pass.
The members of the Hidden Shadow Brigade inspected the surroundings.
“There don’t appear to be any traps.”
The group cautiously proceeded toward the end of the cavern.
There, nine separate paths revealed themselves.
“Things are messed up from the start.”
Jang Deuk-soo examined the ten paths with a troubled expression.
“There are a lot of footprints. Must be those damn Evil Overlords of Heaven.”
After inspecting the entrance for a while, Jang Deuk-soo let out a sigh.
“They’ve split up. All of the paths have footprints.”
“That means no matter which way we go, we’ll run into them.”
The real issue was whether those encounters could be resolved peacefully.
“If we’re unlucky, we might have to fight those bastards.”
Our deal with Gu Jeoksan had only been a secret pact.
Besides, our intervention would have been an unexpected variable for Gu Jeoksan, so it was unlikely he had informed his subordinates about us.
If we met Gu Jeoksan in person, we might be able to avoid a fight, but that was only a matter of chance.
“Which way should we go?”
All eyes turned to me.
But I didn’t know everything.
What I did know was what I’d overheard from a drunken Bang Manhu in my past life, mumbling about the path he’d succeeded in conquering.
‘If I follow that strategy, we’re supposed to take the second path first.’
According to Bang Manhu, each of the nine paths was riddled with deadly formations.
All of them were death traps, but the second one supposedly required the fewest sacrifices.
“The second—”
Just as I was about to give the order, Sa Biyeon pointed toward a corner.
“But what’s that?”
‘Huh?’
“There’s something like a strange marking over there.”
Just as she said, there was a peculiar symbol scrawled roughly beside the ninth path, near the far right edge.
“Given the placement, was it a passage they tried to dig but abandoned?”
“Yeah, it does look like they started carving out a tenth tunnel and stopped.”
Many examined the symbol and nodded in agreement.
‘Wait a minute?’
The moment I saw that wall, an odd sense of dissonance struck me.
Hadn’t I seen something similar not long ago?
‘Ah, the iron wall deep in the main Thousand-Day Pass!’
That iron wall bore marks from the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, slashed along the lines of its sword forms.
As she studied the wall carefully, Cheon Yura muttered bluntly.
“Looks like someone carved a sword path into it.”
“A sword path?”
“Yeah. And it feels... familiar somehow.”
Cheon Yura tilted her head, moving closer to the wall.
I also examined the sword marks etched into the surface.
‘It’s not the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword.’
Though intricately intertwined, the pattern was slightly different from the one I had seen on that iron wall.
‘It’s not that sword art... but I do recognize it. What sword technique is this?’
It felt like something I’d experienced at least once before...
While I was deep in thought—
Suddenly, Cheon Yura, who had been inspecting the wall, struck at it with her sword like lightning.
“Young Cult Leader?!”
Everyone was startled by Cheon Yura’s sudden move.
Kaang!
A harsh metallic clang reverberated through the cave, shaking the entire chamber.
‘Kaang?’
My eyes widened at the sound.
Someone like Cheon Yura, a master of her level, didn’t even need to use sword qi to slice through rock as easily as tofu.
But here, she had struck a rock wall, and it sounded like she'd hit solid metal?
“Cult Leader!”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Bang Manhu, realizing the peculiarity of the situation, immediately pulled out several talismans from his robe and hurled them at the wall.
“Suri Suri Mahasuri (修理修理 摩訶修理)!”
*Chwarararak!*
As he chanted the incantation of the Heavenly Scripture, an eerie demonic energy erupted from Bang Manhu.
‘That’s demonic energy used as spell power... I’ve never seen it before.’
No, perhaps this was actually the correct use of demonic energy.
In ancient times, the term “magic” had been more common than “demonic techniques.”
*Tsstsstss!*
As Bang Manhu’s technique activated, what appeared to be a simple rock began to darken rapidly.
Once the spell covering the wall was completely undone, a pitch-black iron door—tightly shut—was revealed behind it.
“A-an iron door in a place like this?!”
Even if it wasn’t made from one iron, the tenth door was crafted from solid steel.
“So I wasn’t imagining things.”
Cheon Yura had sensed the strangeness with her sharp intuition.
“Move. I’ll slice it open.”
“W-wait, Young Cult Leader!”
As sword qi began to ripple along Cheon Yura’s blade, Bang Manhu hastily stepped in to stop her.
“You mustn’t force that door open!”
“And why not?”
“There are multiple magical energies lingering around this area. Especially up above—something’s off.”
The ceiling?
I suddenly realized something at his words.
“If we force this door open, we might end up buried alive?”
“That’s correct, Young Master Jin. To be frank, there’s a very high chance of that happening.”
Bang Manhu had once conquered this tomb with nothing more than the modest strength of the Nine Moons Blade Hall, purely with his mastery of spells and formations.
His opinion was not one to be ignored.
“If there’s a trap, can’t we disarm it?”
“It’s possible... eventually. But it’ll take a very long time. Not something we can handle in a day or two.”
‘What a shame. In the end, do I have to start with the second path?’
The door before us was probably the “main entrance,” free of traps.
If we could open it, this whole plan would become so much easier.
“If we’re not going to force it open, then there’s only one way.”
Cheon Yura spoke calmly, raising her sword qi once again.
“I’ll have to ask the Cult Leader later why something like this exists in a place like this. For now, let’s open the door first.”
“Y-Young Cult Leader!”
“Don’t make a fuss. I’m simply going to open the door by proper means.”
Brushing Bang Manhu aside, Cheon Yura stood before the steel door and said:
“The lines engraved on this door follow the sword path of the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art.”
‘…What?!’
Of all the surprises I’d experienced, this was the most shocking.
The Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art was the greatest secret art of the Cheon Clan, paired with none other than the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.
Even among blood relatives of the Cheon Clan, not just anyone could learn it.
In other words, what she meant was—
“Someone from the Cheon Clan was involved in constructing this tomb in the past.”
As soon as she said that, Cheon Yura began to perform a sword dance.
The sword qi radiating from her Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art traced the lines engraved on the wall with precision, slicing along the sword path.
I didn’t know how many sword forms the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword Art contained, but the dense lines etched into the steel door began to fill with a dark glow.
Before long, the entire surface of the steel door was awash in black light.
Kugugugung!
The door began to glow and tremble violently.
A signal that the door was opening.
“Ooooh!”
Everyone cheered at the unexpected appearance of the tenth entrance.
“We may have opened the door, but…”
Cheon Yura turned to me and spoke.
“Are you sure? Beyond here, the path will be nothing like the one you expected.”
“…”
Indeed, if we proceeded through this path, everything I’d heard from Bang Manhu in my past life would become worthless.
Still, my instincts screamed at me to go forward.
I nodded heavily.
“Let’s go.”
“Good.”
Somehow, I had the feeling something truly interesting awaited us just beyond this door.
***
“What’s the damage?”
“Five seriously wounded. Three dead.”
“…This is insane.”
Gu Jeoksan, Demonic Emperor Lord, clenched his eyes shut at the devastating report.
“What kind of demonic realm is this place?”
The Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit.
They were the pinnacle force representing the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
No matter what kind of traps the brat might’ve set, he had believed this force would overwhelm them easily, without casualties.
Yet before they could even properly engage the enemy, this cursed ruin had already cost them over five elite fighters.
Not mere pawns, but all warriors of Master Level or higher.
“Traps are one thing, but I can’t deal with these bizarre monsters I’ve never seen before.”
From grotesque three-headed serpents capable of swallowing a man whole,
To humanoid-faced abominations that seemed ripped straight from the legends of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Today was more than enough to shatter Gu Jeoksan’s understanding of reality.
If the monsters hadn’t appeared individually and instead all at once, the damage would have skyrocketed exponentially.
“Grand Disciple, wouldn’t it be better to retreat and seal the entrance?”
“With our current forces, that might be the wiser move.”
His aides advised him calmly, but Gu Jeoksan shook his head.
“Not this time!”
There were two reasons why.
First, there was no guarantee this was the only entrance or exit.
The ruin was underground—there could be another exit somewhere on the surface.
Second, was his own standing.
This expedition was practically the final test to solidify his position as heir to the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
If it ended like this, in disgrace, then even eliminating Cheong Museong wouldn’t be enough to secure his future as the next Sect Leader.
He had the legitimacy to be heir, but the sect was filled with old monsters who wouldn’t hesitate to usurp the position the moment his master died.
Just then, a young man’s voice reached Gu Jeoksan’s ears.
“Keke, I can hear those rusty gears turning in your head from all the way over here.”
“Who’s there?!”
“Who do you think? I’m the reaper sent to drag you bastards to hell.”
“Kwaaagh!”
Even before the voice finished speaking, a scream erupted from the direction it came from—one of the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit members.
Jeojeojeojeok!
In an instant, one of the warriors was reduced to a shriveled husk, and Gu Jeoksan’s eyes flew open.
“Th-the Soul-Absorbing Technique?!”
“Don’t insult me by comparing this to such a low-grade demonic art.”
The man behind the voice emerged from the shadows.
“This is the Soul-Draining Blood Art, a peerless divine technique.”
“Soul-Draining Blood Art? Don’t tell me… F-Flaming Incubus?!”
A lustful demon declared untouchable even among the Ten Evils of the Martial World.
And among the Ten Evils, he was one of only three to reach Extreme Demonic Level!
“W-Why would someone like you be helping that brat?!”
Even if the youngest, Cheong Museong, was suspected to be backed by a third faction, everyone assumed he had Orthodox roots.
But a lustful demon?!
“Kehkehkeh, don’t wrack your brain so hard. You’re all going to die here anyway.”
“No matter who you are, you’re being arrogant! Even with your strength, the force we’ve gathered here is more than enough to handle someone like you!”
Even if their troops had been split up, they still had nearly fifty warriors present.
Even a master of extreme demonic arts could be handled by this force.
“Who said I was alone?”
“…What?”
Before anyone noticed, a man reeking of overwhelming demonic energy stood beside the Flaming Incubus.
At a glance, he was even more monstrous than the Flaming Incubus.
“Th-the Demonic Cult?!”
Though the Flaming Incubus had reached his level by brute-forcing his way through forbidden arts…
The man now before them had ascended to the peak by mastering orthodox demonic arts to their extreme limit—an unprecedented monster.
“Let the hunt begin.”
And so, a day that would become a nightmare for Gu Jeoksan of the Demonic Emperor Army began.