Chapter: 764
After that, Ilcheonggeom, who couldn’t understand the situation, acted like he was broken.
The other members of the Murim Alliance next to him, including Beomdong, looked like they were experiencing an earthquake in their eyes.
What can I say?
Networking is always pleasant to witness.
It was something I came to realize anew.
‘…Hah.’
Could it be that the Heavenly Lord intervened in the situation?
Thanks to that, my thoughts have cooled down a bit.
With this body, I wouldn’t have been able to fight Ilcheonggeom right now.
Oh, I might have been able to win with some caution. I just ruined my plans.
“Now that we’re done talking, can we leave?”
“…”
Ilcheonggeom’s brow hardened.
He seemed like he wanted to say something to me, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it because he was worried about the Heavenly Lord beside him. Instead, he stared at me quietly.
“…I will guide you.”
He quickly tucked his tail between his legs.
Once I got through, the road to the main hall was smooth.
It was also because Ilcheonggeom was personally guiding us. The distance wasn’t that far to begin with.
I moved calmly while occasionally glancing around.
‘There are a lot of people stuck here.’
Initially, I counted forty.
There were even more numbers still stationed inside.
Compared to the power the alliance originally held, this was significantly less, but it still felt like a lot.
If I had any doubts about this,
‘Where did the rest of the members go?’
There are three higher-ups nearby.
Ilcheonggeom, Seomgeom, and another person…
‘I’m not sure. My guess is probably the Golden Dragon Lord.’
Given that he wore two swords at his waist, it must be the Golden Dragon Lord, who uses dual sword techniques.
I confirmed that Ilryongdaeju was dead… and Jeokryongdaeju has passed as well. I know what Pungryongdaeju is doing, so where are the remaining members and what are they doing?
‘I didn’t see the monsters causing all that commotion, so I assumed they were all here.’
It seems that’s not the case.
If so, where on earth are they headed?
“…”
I suddenly had an inkling about one part, but I sincerely hoped my hunch would turn out to be wrong.
If that were true, I would surely feel resentment toward the nonexistent Jeong Na-mi.
I continued walking according to the guidance and moved a bit further.
At last, I arrived at the pavilion.
The area where I had fought with the King of Dowagers.
Just a moment ago, it was like that, but who would have guessed that so much time had passed that I would return here in such a mess?
‘This is beyond ridiculous.’
I gazed straight ahead, sharing my unspeakable feelings.
The scarlet curtain still hung there.
There were quite a few people surrounding that place.
“…Damn…!”
“What on earth are we supposed to do with this!”
“Please, speed up a bit! Our lord is inside!”
“We’re doing our best too!”
Those who were anxiously staring at the curtain. I could see familiar sect uniforms. I recognized the emblem of prestigious families.
Or, I also spotted the insignia of those who are reputed to be among the wealthiest in the Central Plains.
Whether by power or money, those gathered here represented the current stronghold of the Central Plains.
I quietly observed them and slightly raised my gaze.
A tall pavilion was visible, with people gathered atop it.
Among them, I locked eyes with the face of the elderly man in front.
‘Look at that old man’s expression. At this rate, someone is going to be sliced.’
It was the current leader of the Murim Alliance, the Wudang Sword Master.
The swordsman’s expression resembled an evil spirit who had discarded the benevolence typical of Taoists.
Considering that the skies had opened, he likely knew that the situation was nearing its end.
Still, with such a face…
‘I guess he knows.’
He wasn’t completely clueless—he was aware of the current state of the Murim Alliance.
He recognized that the perception of the alliance and his own position were in turmoil, yet he himself couldn’t move. How furious must he be?
I understood that feeling far too well.
‘It’s quite satisfying.’
Strangely enough, I felt uplifted.
With a light heart, I took my steps forward.
I gently nudged those who were blocking my path to clear the way.
“Let me pass through.”
“Urg…! What the—!”
“Yes, yes. Please move aside. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Somehow, I made my way through.
Only when I moved in deeper did I see what was happening in front of me.
Those who were standing close to the front.
They were wearing clothes that proved their allegiance to the Murim Alliance, but around their attire were inscribed the character for wind.
‘Pungryongdae.’
Members of the Pungryongdae, one of the Eight Swords.
An expert in formations stood right in front of me.
Below that.
“…Lord…! Please, stop… If you continue, something terrible will happen.”
“That’s right. We’ll handle the rest… Please… .”
Even amidst the objections from those around him, he silently moved his hands, as if brainwashed, intent on breaking the barrier.
The Wind Dragon Lord, Bimapa, was kneeling down and touching the curtain.
With a frail body that looked like it was in terrible shape.
The old man trembled, struggling to raise his hand, but he continued to work on the barrier.
This was in a desperate attempt to break through.
‘That’s not very helpful.’
It was also moving according to my orders.
“Hah… Hah…”
Although he looked like he might collapse at any moment, Pungryongdaeju didn’t stop his hands.
I narrowed my eyes at the sight.
‘I had my hopes up, but it didn’t turn out worse than I expected.’
They had said it would take half a day for the Wind Dragon to act to release the curtain.
Half a day was the time calculated for the expert among experts, Pungryongdaeju. If anyone else tried to handle it, they had claimed it would take several days.
This also implies that Pungryongdaeju was indeed a remarkable figure.
Because it meant she could shorten it down to half a day.
As if to prove this in reality…
‘The curtain has slightly dimmed.’
The scarlet curtain seemed to have faded from its original brightness.
One thing is for sure.
‘But it’s still far from being done.’
It had only lightened a bit, still likely to take a long time before it was truly gone.
Looking at this, I pondered what to do.
Half a day is far too late.
I would need to figure out a way to break that curtain before then.
That’s why I was using the Wind Dragon Lord.
‘This is getting a bit tedious.’
What should I do?
While thinking about this, I scrutinized the curtain.
At first glance, it appeared to be a mundane barrier.
As Pilduma had confidently claimed, it encapsulated the power to bind three teenage masters and numerous Hwagyeong warriors.
However…
I found myself questioning.
‘Is it really that difficult to resolve?’
I opened my heart and scrutinized the barrier.
Because of my injuries, even activating my insight was somewhat taxing.
‘Oh.’
I can see it.
A feast of uncountable twisted threads.
Threads that begin from nowhere and end nowhere.
That was the barrier formed from all of them. Looking at this, it seemed the Wind Dragon Lord was cautiously tugging at the threads, searching for a starting point.
I realized this once I observed it closely.
‘No wonder it’s taking over half a day.’
When exactly will I untangle all these threads and find the starting point?
‘No job in this world compares to labor like this.’
I sighed in frustration as I inspected the curtain more closely.
‘…Hmm.’
Though I squinted and looked around,
‘I don’t understand the principle behind it.’
I couldn’t grasp how it worked or how it generated such effects.
That’s a given. How can I understand principles that I’ve never been taught?
‘What a shame.’
If only I could comprehend it, it could be a powerful tool.
But with Pilduma gone, such thoughts are moot.
But…
‘Hmm.’
Right now, I needed to focus on something other than figuring out the principles.
A heap of lines.
After observing the form of the technique that was difficult to find even a crack in, I soon discovered something peculiar.
Looking closely revealed a series of especially bright lines.
‘What’s this?’
Why do those lines shine differently?
Curious, I traced the lines with my gaze.
The endless array of threads tangled, yet most converged in one particular spot.
That location was somewhere on the ground beneath the curtain.
A floor that appeared ordinary.
As I looked closely at that spot, I suddenly reached out my hand.
Woohoo—!!
As soon as my hand made contact, the curtain vibrated.
“My lord! It seems the curtain is responding!”
“Wait, could it be that there’s progress…!”
Did they think this was something Bimapa accomplished? Others spoke to Bimapa as if cheering on.
Bimapa didn’t even pay attention, and my fingertips began to move slowly.
Woof.
Woohoo.
I could feel all sorts of energy from the hand on the curtain.
It had looked like a complicated technique when I first saw it, but it felt entirely different now that I touched it.
‘This… I’ve felt this somewhere before.’
It was a familiar sensation. Where had I experienced it? I paused for a moment, then it hit me.
‘Ah.’
Pilduma’s hideout.
It resembled the technique I had encountered there.
While the intricate details were different, the broader structure was similar.
It seemed far more refined than it was back then.
All sorts of threads erupted with reactions.
Perhaps my touch rejected it, and it writhed like it was uneasy.
Woohoo—!!
“W-What! The technique is suddenly reacting!”
“If this continues… we’ll have to start over…?”
“Damn it! Why is this happening?!”
Others expressed despair at such reactions.
If this carried on like this, they seemed resigned to redoing everything.
I didn’t quite grasp their expressions.
‘Why should we redo this?’
The reactions are wild, but the critical root isn’t the threads causing the turmoil.
The root was, ironically, the thread I held onto.
‘It’s not about the beginning or the end that matters.’
When the heck would I find starting points or endpoints?
Instead of searching for those,
‘Why don’t I just tear it out from the middle?’
If I found a useful thread, wouldn’t I just yank it and tear it away?
The very moment I considered this, I exerted force and tugged at the line.
At that instant,
Thud—!
A thread ripping away with hardly any effort.
My eyes widened at that sight.
Why would it tear away so easily…?
I briefly panicked, thinking I might’ve done it wrong.
Woohoo—-!!!!
The barrier reacted violently as the thread tore.
Gooooo—!!!!
The barrier started to dissolve from the place where the thread had been pulled.
“Huh—!! My lord! You released the barrier… Wait?”
“Wha—?”
As the curtain began to crumble and everyone was ready to cheer,
They all turned their gazes, realizing that the impetus was not Bimapa.
In a split second, every eye landed on me.
“…”
“…?”
Faces reflecting confusion over the situation.
Seeing that, I awkwardly grinned.
“…No, this is… I just tried it out of curiosity since I was wondering why it wasn’t working for me… and here we are? Hahaha. Isn’t this great?”
Hahahaha…
I tried to laugh it off, saying it.
“…”
“…”
“…”
But there wasn’t a single person who laughed alongside me.
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