The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Words like “eternal life” and “immortality” faintly reached Yi-gang’s ears.

Even that faded away after a bit, becoming silent again.

Yi-gang heightened his vigilance, but the voice did not return.

Yi-gang, who had paused for a moment, stepped forward.

“Let’s go inside.”

His companions followed Yi-gang’s lead, looking at him for cues.

And then they were amazed by the interior.

“These are… those boxes!”

“So, they came down here.”

They were boxes of wood, earth, metal, and water. As expected, the fire box was missing.

Other than that, what caught their eyes was a large wooden box.

Moyong Jin checked for any mechanisms before carefully opening the box.

“Uh…”

Moyong Jin’s expression subtly changed.

He had thought there would be treasure inside.

However, after opening the seal of the box and unwrapping the paper bundles meant to keep out moisture, what came out were items close to miscellaneous goods.

Old-fashioned clothes, a staff, and various household tools. Of course, there were some extraordinary items, but the contents were different from what was expected. It was like someone’s personal belongings.

Meanwhile, Namgung Shin had been looking for an exit.

“There’s no way to find an exit, no matter how hard I look.”

It wasn’t that a sudden desire to survive had ignited within Namgung Shin.

But something had changed after his conversation with Yi-gang. At the very least, he wanted to leave this place alive.

Whether he would end up dead afterward or not…

“There must be an exit somewhere. Definitely,” Yi-gang said with conviction, but Namgung Shin was skeptical.

“It might not exist.”

“If there’s a way in, there should be a way out.”

It was a logical statement, but it was hard to believe.

The one who created this place, the Master of the Ghost Valley, was truly malevolent. It was possible that no exit was made.

Yi-gang stood still for a long while, pondering.

His lack of effort to find an exit was puzzling.

“Uh…”

“Shh.”

Yi-gang silenced Namgung Shin and listened carefully.

The voice was heard again.

「That one, is he the best choice… No, he has something strange implanted in his chest. Then…」

The creepy voice’s origin was indiscernible.

Yi-gang seemed to understand the identity of the voice.

Was it the Master of the Ghost Valley who desired immortality?

Though he appeared to be dead, it seemed he hadn’t completely given up on his long-cherished wish.

「If I choose that dazzling one… This time, it will surely be better than Heuk-am…」

Upon hearing Heuk-am, Yi-gang shivered as if struck by lightning. It was a word that came from the mouth of his uncle who conspired with the Evil Cult.

At that moment, Moyong Jin and Namgung Shin were also shocked.

“Whoa!”

“What is this!”

There were hidden mechanisms in the room. These were the finest mechanisms cherished by the Master of the Ghost Valley, far surpassing anything they had encountered in the Five Elements Tomb so far.

Chyarararak!

Steel wires shot out.

They were similar to the devices used by the Imperial Army to capture martial masters.

Steel cables shot out from holes hidden in all directions, coiling tightly around Moyong Jin and Namgung Shin.

Escaping was futile. No, to begin with, it wasn’t something that could be dodged. How could one block and cut the wires that enveloped from all sides?

And the wires tightened as quickly as they had been shot.

“Ugh!”

Neck, arms, legs, abdomen. The wires tangled and tightened around every part. Namgung Shin was fixed to the floor, and Moyong Jin was pinned against the wall.

They couldn’t even twitch their limbs.

Feeling the wire tighten around his neck, Moyong Jin shouted towards Yi-gang.

“Brother!”

For some reason, Yi-gang remained unharmed even amidst the storm of wires.

However, he seemed to have no intention of helping Namgung Shin and Moyong Jin.

Standing still, Yi-gang suddenly chuckled.

“…What.”

Moyong Jin felt a chill down his spine.

Yi-gang appeared unmistakably different.

It was something essentially different that couldn’t be explained merely with the word “atmosphere.”

“Hahaha!”

His laughter turned strangely frivolous.

“Finally, it’s a success!”

Acting oddly, as if possessed by someone else, Yi-gang behaved strangely.

On the surface.

The atmosphere of the Great Separation Mountain was ominously grim.

Due to someone’s intervention, the Five Elements Tomb had collapsed, and the mountain peaks had crumbled as well.

The fact that successors were buried alive despite being under the protection of the Murim Alliance signified the gravity of the situation.

Martial artists from all over the Central Plains were flocking to the site.

Although the clan heads of the Baek Noble Clan and the Moyong Clan had not yet arrived, their arrival could potentially lead to a war.

Many people were engulfed in sorrow.

Peng Mu-ah was sad too, but she had somewhat composed herself.

Not because she was no longer sad, but because she was worried about Baek Ha-jun beside her.

“How can you be so out of it.”

“…”

It had become inevitable to accept Yi-gang’s death as a fact. Nearly a month had passed since the Five Elements Tomb collapsed.

The Murim Alliance had started excavations, but the pace was ridiculously slow to reach the underground of the Five Elements Tomb in time.

Their goal was solely to find the legacy of the Five Elements Divine Lord and to recover the bodies of the deceased successors.

Peng Mu-ah saw Baek Ha-jun cry for the first time.

He had become like a corpse after shedding tears for the first time upon accepting his brother’s death.

He stopped his daily sword practice and often stared blankly at the ruined mountain.

She knew time would heal him, but for Peng Mu-ah, it was a hard sight to bear.

While Peng Mu-ah herself was shedding tears, Yu Su-rin, Yi-gang’s junior, came to visit.

After hearing her story, Yu Su-rin went to find Baek Ha-jun.

“Yi-gang’s senior brother wants to meet you. Are you going to stay silent like a corpse there too?”

“…”

It was about Dam Hyun wanting to meet Baek Ha-jun and Peng Mu-ah.

What could they possibly talk about now? But Peng Mu-ah accepted Yu Su-rin’s request.

She didn’t want to see Baek Ha-jun just blankly staring at the mountain anymore.

However, when she met Dam Hyun, Peng Mu-ah regretted it a bit.

Dam Hyun was an eccentric person.

He grabbed Baek Ha-jun’s chin upon their first meeting and checked his teeth.

“Healthy teeth. Usually, there’s at least one or two rotten ones. Hmm, no bleeding from the gums either.”

“What are you doing?”

Baek Ha-jun wasn’t angry because Dam Hyun was Yi-gang’s senior brother.

Undeterred, Dam Hyun then flipped Baek Ha-jun’s eyelids to check.

“Not yellowed. The whites are supposed to be slightly bluish for good health.”

“…”

“I heard there was rising corpse poison. Corpse poison like that often has delayed effects. I was checking for that.”

People’s perceptions changed.

They said he was knowledgeable, but Dam Hyun’s insight seemed extraordinary.

His gaze now turned towards Peng Mu-ah.

“Come here and open your mouth too.”

“I’m fine.”

Dam Hyun looked as if he was wondering why she was refusing his offer to help.

“Anyway, it seems there’s a high chance Yi-gang is alive. It doesn’t seem like the corpse poison is from mushroom poison.”

Dam Hyun’s words successfully brought Baek Ha-jun’s wandering mind back.

“My brother is alive?”

“I didn’t say he’s alive. I said there’s a possibility he could be.”

Life returned to Baek Ha-jun’s eyes.

It was a contrast to Dam Hyun’s nonchalant expression.

Just before, Dam Hyun had wanted to hear everything that happened inside the Five Elements Tomb without missing a detail.

What he focused on was the last part, where the body of the Five Elements Divine Lord was located.

“You said the corpse poison ascended in an updraft there.”

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

“Were there statues like this?”

“Around the pillar where the Five Elements Divine Lord was sitting…”

Baek Ha-jun detailed what he had seen.

Dam Hyun cross-verified the testimonies of the other successors and drew a map of the area.

It was so accurate that it seemed as if he had visited the place himself, astonishing everyone.

Holding a brush, Dam Hyun murmured as if pondering something.

Unable to hold back, Peng Mu-ah asked, “How could Yi-gang… possibly be alive?”

The old Dam Hyun might not have kindly explained, but the current Dam Hyun was different.

“Yi-gang couldn’t have missed the Rest Gate. If there was a pit of corpse poison below, there must have been water veins too… Probably, there was a passage in this pillar.”

A person who had never been there knew more than those who had. Would the situation have been different if Dam Hyun had been part of the exploration team?

“Then, what’s below if we go down that way?”

“There must be water. If a passage is made, it leads somewhere. There must be a way to survive, whatever’s there.”

Everyone’s expression brightened.

Peng Mu-ah even welled up with tears.

“Then, can we save Yi-gang?”

“If we wait, he might come out. If there’s an uncollapsed exit, that is,” Dam Hyun spoke optimistically.

However, unlike the others, he did not hastily rejoice.

There was one thing he hadn’t explained to them.

‘What exactly had the Master of the Ghost Valley plotted?’

After discovering that the designer of the Five Elements Tomb was the Master of the Ghost Valley, Dam Hyun thoroughly investigated him.

Indeed, he was obsessed with the idea of “immortality.”

Many in the history of the Central Plains wished to live forever, but none succeeded.

Mastering pure Qi techniques to a high level can extend one’s life.

But even for the greatest of masters, surpassing 150 years was extremely difficult, unless one truly transcended to become an immortal being in a living body.

It’s unlikely that someone like the Master of the Ghost Valley became an immortal. He must have died, probably within the Five Elements Tomb.

It didn’t seem like someone obsessed with eternal life would easily accept their own death.

Then, one could speculate something.

‘Is he bound to the earth in the form of a soul?’

It wasn’t impossible.

With enough preparation and time, even Dam Hyun considered it feasible.

If the Master of the Ghost Valley remained in the form of a soul, he must have a purpose.

Surely, he would try to seize another’s body.

The options would be limited.

“Including Yi-gang, there were three.”

Whether they could meet again was uncertain.

But if they did…

“…Perhaps, he might appear as someone else.”

Such ominous thoughts were unavoidable.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Forget it.”

Of course, Yi-gang wouldn’t be easily overcome.

Dam Hyun, who had attempted to steal Yi-gang’s spiritual energy in the realm of consciousness, knew this well.

“Crazy bastard, give back Yi-gang!”

“Uahaha, the kid dares to talk back so rudely. Hehehe.”

The Master of the Ghost Valley, who had taken over Yi-gang’s body, burst into malicious laughter.

Laughing wickedly with Yi-gang’s face, the villainous laughter surprisingly suited him well. Namgung Shin thought so while tied to the floor.

“How could I not be happy when the plan of hundreds of years has finally come to fruition.”

“Release us!”

“Tsk tsk, if I hadn’t taken over this young body, you all would have died trapped here. How can you not be grateful for being alive thanks to me.”

The Master of the Ghost Valley changed out of his grimy clothes into the ones stored in the wooden box.

Yi-gang’s taste in clothing was also extraordinary, but Master of the Ghost Valley was even more so.

Like Tang Eun-seol, his dark blue silk clothes were adorned with numerous metal ornaments. All were made of pure silver.

“Hehe, to think I would obtain a body so rich in spiritual energy.”

The Master of the Ghost Valley was ecstatic.

In the distant future, he planned to lure a vessel here to perform a great spell, obtaining a new and youthful body.

It was a gamble with an extremely low chance of success, even if his followers had properly arranged everything.

As feared, only four of the five boxes meant to harvest souls had returned.

Yet, it was almost miraculous that three potential vessels had come to him.

‘Lifespan extension, immortality, eternal life.’

The Master of the Ghost Valley murmured these words, which were almost everything to him. After all, the living can’t hear the voices of spirits, and talking to oneself had become a habit over the long years.

Having closely examined the three individuals, the Master of the Ghost Valley couldn’t help but be moved by his luck.

One of them possessed an immense amount of spiritual energy.

‘With a vessel like this…’

Although the body seemed frail, that was of no concern. By practicing the Five Elements Divine Art learned from the Five Elements Divine Lord and consuming elixirs, he could quickly become an inner energy master.

The delighted Master of the Ghost Valley sat in a lotus position and began circulating his energy.

His expression hardened only moments later.

“What is this…”

The vital energy did not move.

No, there was no path for it to move. Only the meridian from the right hand to the lower dantian was connected.

“M-meridian blockage disease?”

It could not be explained other than as meridian blockage disease.

But what were the chances that the body he chose was a patient of meridian blockage disease? And the chance for a person with such severe blockage to penetrate everything in the Five Elements Tomb and reach underground was infinitely small.

“It can’t be!”

However, the Master of the Ghost Valley’s misfortune did not stop there.

The body he thought he had completely controlled suddenly moved.

Swish—

It moved out of his control and slapped his own cheek.

The Master of the Ghost Valley was shocked, feeling a numb pain.

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