Chapter 203: Misty Mountains (1)
Five days.
That was the amount of time Gu Huibi had spent in the dungeon of the Main Palace.
During this period, she had to endure an almost hopelessly idle time.
Due to the Palace Lord’s schemes, her position in the game still hadn’t moved.
As a result, Gu Huibi, who had returned to her frail, powerless self, could do absolutely nothing.
These aspects weighed heavily on Gu Huibi, filling her with a tremendous sense of deprivation.
Thud—
Thud—
A strange sound echoed from the direction of the iron bars.
After hearing the repetitive noise since last night, Elder Mook, who was leaning against the wall, finally snapped.
“Damn it, will you just sit still?!”
Thud… Thud…
At Elder Mook’s shout, the sound came to a sudden halt.
The source of the noise was none other than Gu Huibi.
It was the sound of her repeatedly banging her head against the iron bars.
“Do you think doing that with your head will make the bars bend? It’s noisy, so just stay still!”
Elder Mook’s words drew Gu Huibi’s gloomy gaze, and she turned her head clumsily.
She looked half asleep, as if she were being tormented.
And all of that was just after five days.
Seeing her like this made Elder Mook chuckle heartily.
“You look a mess! If someone saw you, they’d think I was the one being tortured, not you.”
“Why are you picking a fight with me all of a sudden?”
“If you don’t want to hear such things, then sit quietly or lie down and sleep!”
Gu Huibi hadn’t even been sleeping properly; she hadn’t even eaten the meals provided to her.
Of course, Elder Mook had gobbled up all the leftovers with delight.
“…Someday it will bend, right?”
“Do you really think an egg can crack a rock? You’re talking nonsense like a spoiled noble’s kid.”
She seemed relatively presentable the first time he laid eyes on her.
But how had she ended up like this?
“What on earth has troubled you so much?”
“Isn’t it bizarre to be normal when I’ve been captured and thrown in prison?”
“Ha! Little girl, I can tell from a mile away that you’re not in this state because of your imprisonment. Where are you spouting such nonsense from?”
When it came to matters like this, the old man was an expert.
He was skilled at reading situations, grasping the atmosphere, and identifying the hidden emotions behind one’s voice.
Elder Mook had every confidence in being the best in the world at what he did.
Lies were of no use to someone like him, who could extract dozens of pieces of information even from a passing dog.
Watching Gu Huibi’s struggles, Elder Mook decided to deal the finishing blow.
“Are you so distressed that the marble doesn’t listen to you anymore?”
“…”
“Who were you watching that made you so miserable about not being able to see them anymore?”
Gu Huibi didn’t respond to the old man’s words.
But it was true that the Marble of Celestial Captivation did not react to her touch anymore.
Having fed it blood to mark her as its master, the marble ceased to respond the moment she lost her position in the game.
Because of this, Gu Huibi could no longer check on her brother’s situation like she used to.
‘…This can’t go on.’
The fact that she couldn’t see him anymore wasn’t the real problem.
Well, it was, but that wasn’t the most crucial part.
The most important issue was if Gu Yangcheon were to learn about the marble and figure out how to activate it.
‘It would be fine for him to know about my location and situation, but—’
What she cared about most was ensuring that Gu Yangcheon didn’t come rushing here the moment he discovered it.
As usual, she hoped that the distance between them would prevent him from coming after her.
Gu Yangcheon’s youthful fervor shouldn’t lead to such a situation.
Gu Huibi kept wishing for it.
She couldn’t allow her little brother to fall into danger because of her.
“Stop staring at the marble and put it away. It’ll be a problem if they notice it.”
At Elder Mook’s advice, Gu Huibi hid the marble once again.
Even while listening to him, a part of her remained puzzled.
‘Who is that old man, really?’
Elder Mook had been one of the wisest enigmas to Gu Huibi during her stay here.
He had been alone in the prison before she arrived, and despite being blind, he acted as though he could see everything.
No matter how she viewed it, he was anything but an ordinary old man.
On the second day, while looking at the marble she held, Elder Mook had said,
“Oh, so the Marble of Celestial Captivation that disappeared ended up in the Gu Clan after all. No wonder nobody knew.”
Not only did he have access to top-secret information,
“Hm, if the marble is there, then do you also have that Flame Steel?”
But he casually spewed out information that only the Clan Lord and a few others would know.
When asked, Gu Huibi pretended not to understand.
“Oh, I see! The pieces finally clicked into place! I had been nagging at it for a bit; thank you for clarifying! Ah, what a relief!”
She certainly hadn’t answered anything, but the old man broadcasted this as if her reaction meant everything.
‘This old man must indeed be crazy.’
There was no way he was normal.
And yet, even then, she couldn’t dismiss him outright.
Her instincts told her that there was something more to him than he let on.
Redirecting her thoughts, Gu Huibi sighed and gazed out the window.
She had to worry about Gu Yangcheon and that old man, but ultimately, the biggest problem lay with herself.
‘Why do I need to know?’
She was curious, wondering why the Palace Lord had taken her and imprisoned her here.
Days passed, and she still couldn’t come up with an answer.
Which was understandable, given that the Palace Lord hadn’t appeared since that last battle.
Left alone in prison, she was still oblivious to her purpose here.
The endless questions swirled in her mind, until Elder Mook interrupted her thoughts.
“Do you think that just acting frantic like a dog about to burst will yield any results?”
“Hmph. Elder Mook seems quite relaxed,” she thought.
“Well, it’s been a while since I got brought here. Haha.”
Gu Huibi sighed inwardly at his demeanor as she closed her eyes, ready to indulge in her thoughts.
Tsk.
“He’s here.”
But her reflection was shattered by the smacking of a tongue.
Puzzled by Elder Mook’s comment, Gu Huibi was about to ask for clarification when a sinister energy from the opposite side of the great door sent shivers down her spine.
It was an instinctive fear.
Creek—
The door swung open, revealing two figures.
One was a fierce-looking old man covered in age spots and the other, a face she recognized all too well.
How could she ever forget?
The one responsible for dragging her to this place:
The Black Palace Lord.
One of the Four Emperors and Five Kings had arrived.
“You’ve awoken.”
The Palace Lord met Gu Huibi’s glare with a calm gaze.
“How could I not after being shoved here for days on end?!”
Elder Mook couldn’t help but snicker at her response.
“Sword Phoenix, your words are as crude as one might expect, but I suppose those with your surname have always been that way.”
As the Palace Lord approached her, Gu Huibi felt a quiver run through her.
Nevertheless, she bit down hard, refusing to show any signs of weakness.
“Why did you bring me here?!”
Gu Huibi demanded, but the Palace Lord’s attention was fixed not on her, but on Elder Mook instead.
“Do you have any intentions of speaking now?”
His emotionless voice sent a chill down her spine.
While she had anticipated sensing an aura from such a powerful martial artist, the Black Palace Lord felt even more inscrutable.
Elder Mook let out a chuckle.
“Didn’t I tell you to just kill me instead?”
“Not a chance. You are my hope, after all.”
“You shouldn’t be saying such disgusting things when addressing a man.”
“Ah, so you still harbor hope?”
Elder Mook leaned against the wall, ignoring the Palace Lord’s remark.
“Which is why you haven’t ended your own life.”
“Are you suggesting I should bite my tongue off and die? You brat! You clearly have no respect for the elderly!”
In response to Elder Mook’s mocking tone, the Palace Lord fell silent.
He merely exchanged glances with the man next to him.
The old man approached the iron bars, placed his hand upon them, and, remarkably, with a click, the jail door swung open.
“Come out.”
Though his words weren’t directed at anyone specific, Gu Huibi internalized that they were meant for her.
Clench—
With a gritting of her teeth, she glared at the Palace Lord.
“I asked why you brought me here!”
The Palace Lord stood there still, his dark pupils reflecting something ominous.
Gu Huibi felt cool sweat trickle down her back.
After what felt like an eternity, the Palace Lord finally spoke.
“Because I need you.”
“For what purpose?”
“Because the Great One needs you.”
“The Great One?”
Could there truly be a being so significant that even the notorious ruler of the Black Palace, one of the Four Emperors and Five Kings, referred to as such?
“The reason I’m engaging in this frivolous dialogue with you, and why I’m choosing not to eliminate you despite your disrespectful comments, is entirely due to that reason.”
“So don’t irritate my patience any further!”
Although she hadn’t heard the last part audibly, Gu Huibi just felt the Palace Lord say it with that chilling demeanor.
“Follow me.”
As he concluded his sentence, the Palace Lord turned away.
She wondered what would happen if she didn’t follow him.
With her Qi depleted, should he wish, the Palace Lord could easily drag her with him.
Yet, he was offering her a choice: to either follow willingly or be forcibly led.
In essence, she was left with no real choice at all.
As Gu Huibi glared at the Palace Lord’s back, Elder Mook’s voice softly interrupted from behind.
“Is your body fine?”
Pause.
Hearing Elder Mook’s words, the Palace Lord halted briefly.
“You don’t seem well.”
Body?
Curious, Gu Huibi examined the Palace Lord’s condition, but to her eyes, he appeared completely unscathed. What had the old man seen?
“Did you get beaten up? You should have rested if you were feeling bad. You look pretty worn out.”
While Elder Mook spoke teasingly, the Palace Lord remained focused, continuing on his path.
Soon after, he resumed walking, ignoring Elder Mook entirely.
Tightening her jaw, Gu Huibi followed him.
The passage was lengthy and the building appeared to block virtually all light.
As she maintained a stiff posture following the Palace Lord, Elder Mook’s words echoed back to her mind.
You don’t seem well. Were you beaten up?
The Palace Lord neither confirmed nor denied the old man’s statements.
However, silence spoke louder than words.
Perhaps…
Finally, Gu Huibi realized that the Palace Lord’s deteriorating condition was likely a result of his recent confrontation with the Second Elder.
Though it had appeared that the Palace Lord had decisively defeated the Second Elder, it seemed that the reality could be more convoluted.
Then the reason he hadn’t visited me for days…
Could it be that he needed time to fully recover?
It was just a guess influenced by Elder Mook’s words, but Gu Huibi desperately hoped that it was true.
If so, then the Second Elder’s sacrifice would not have been worthless.
It would also give her a glimmer of hope for a possible chance of success.
Second Elder…
Images of the moment when the Second Elder sustained his injury rushed back to her.
Was he still alive?
She fervently hoped he was.
As she continued onward, her lips pressed together, a door came into view at the far end of the hall.
It resembled one she had seen in her time in prison, yet this one was larger and decidedly darker.
And perhaps,
…!
It was absolutely terrifying.
Hoh?
Seeing Gu Huibi’s face pale, the Palace Lord seemed impressed.
“I’ve heard about your great talent among the young prodigies, and it seems to be true. To think you could sense this.”
Gu Huibi couldn’t find her voice.
Whatever lay beyond that door evoked an indescribable feeling—far surpassing her initial encounter with the Palace Lord.
Collapse.
Just gazing at the door was more than enough to paralyze her.
Her legs buckled, and she collapsed on the floor.
Her lips quivered, her vision wavered, and her breathing grew ragged.
Despite not knowing precisely why, she knew that what she felt was unequivocally fear.
The Palace Lord, observing the statuesque Gu Huibi, subtly gestured with his hand.
Suddenly, she was lifted into the air.
Despite having no Qi whatsoever, he could easily raise her body as if it were as light as a feather.
Gu Huibi desperately tried to struggle, but her stiffened body refused to listen.
“You seem to have an impressive sense; perhaps you can recognize the greatness beyond our realm—The Great One.”
Greatness?
Cold sweat trickled down her cheeks and chin, plopping on the ground.
“Yes, the kind of respect you should have for an existence from an entirely different level. Perhaps if it’s you, you might truly feel it.”
Could this be a miscalculation?
A faint smile crept over the Palace Lord’s normally indifferent face, resembling something closer to madness to Gu Huibi’s eyes.
“If you perceive it, you can join with the Great One with a joyous heart.”
The madness filled the darkness of the Palace Lord’s eyes as he guided Gu Huibi toward the door.
The door was adorned with a violet gemstone.
The Palace Lord extended a hand towards it.
Click.
Drrr-
An unidentifiable sound roared from within.
Shortly after the noise faded, he forcefully opened the door.
Behind it lay nothing but darkness.
Gu Huibi was unable to see anything.
Yet, she could feel that something existed beyond that darkness.
The fear coursing through her body seemed to be tied to whatever lurked there.
“I hope your flame will illuminate the Great One even more brightly.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, a gust of wind whisked Gu Huibi into the abyss beyond the door.
Ugh!
She rolled across the ground.
Despite diligently training her body, it felt as if her abilities had been completely sealed off.
She struggled to regain control of her body.
Just as she was about to rise to her feet, she sensed something drawing closer to her.
Step.
The faint sound of small footsteps echoed.
The ominous darkness swallowed her vision, but it heightened her other senses.
Step.
Each approaching footstep intensified her trembling.
Her instincts screamed!
An innate fear in the presence of the unknown.
Flicker!
When the steps stopped right in front of her, flames sprang up in the room as if they had awaited this moment.
Though small, the violet flames illuminated the entire space.
Gu Huibi realized that the figure in front of her had ignited this peculiar fire.
Desperately lifting her head, she gazed at the presence before her.
…!
It was a child.
Long, dark hair cascading down.
Naked and thin, almost skeletal in appearance as if it hadn’t eaten in ages.
There was no way Gu Huibi could hide her shock.
The very entity provoking her primal fear was this small child of all things.
And the mention of beings from a different realm by the Palace Lord?
Neither mattered to Gu Huibi now.
What truly mattered was that the child, with violet flames shimmering around it, bore an uncanny resemblance to someone she knew.
Trembling, she watched as the child extended its hand toward her.
Stunned, Gu Huibi instinctively recoiled.
“Book.”
The child’s voice rang clear, cutting through the tension.
“What?”
“Book.”
The child continued to monotonously repeat the same word.
At that moment, Gu Huibi’s eyes widened as she noticed the old, tattered book clenched in its tiny hand.
While Gu Huibi faced an unfathomable existence, someone arrived at the fog-laden Misty Mountains.
“I can’t see a damn thing, seriously.”
It was a fierce-looking boy clad in a red uniform.
Gu Yangcheon furrowed his brow as he surveyed the dense fog.
There was far more fog than he had anticipated.
Glancing around the mountain, Gu Yangcheon vented his frustrations at his companion.
“Ugh! Why did you insist on going left?! I told you it was right!”
“If we had gone your way, it would’ve taken us double the time, you know?”
“Sorry.”
For some reason, Gu Yangcheon, who should’ve been alone, found himself with another person.
A beautiful woman with bluish-white hair, who avoided eye contact entirely.
“But if we had gone left, we’d still have been closer…”
“Ugh, I’m going to lose my mind.”
It was Namgung Bi-ah.
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