Chapter 117

CHAPTER 117

Lightsword Tomb-3

Meanwhile, after choosing the left path and running for quite a while, Seonu Jin sensed that no one was pursuing from behind and slowed his steps.

Then he whispered quietly to Tang Yeo-eun.

“Miss Tang, it seems they went the other way. We don’t need to rush so hastily.”

“Ah, yes.”

Only now did the two of them have a moment to look around carefully.

The cave’s passage was circular, constructed from massive interlocking bricks.

The stones were so intricately fitted together that there was almost no gap at all, as if it had been built with painstaking effort.

And despite being deep inside the cave, they could still see clearly without trouble.

This was because a faint green light flowed throughout the passage.

Tang Yeo-eun looked curiously at the glowing orbs embedded irregularly along the ceiling of the passage.

“I’ve never seen this many luminous pearls before. Even if the Tang family gathered every luminous pearl we own, it wouldn’t amount to this.”

Seonu Jin gave a wry smile as he answered.

“So those are luminous pearls. I’d only ever heard of them—this is my first time seeing them in person. I heard they’re extremely expensive, yet here they’re used just to replace torches. It’s a bit intimidating… though I suppose not needing fire is convenient.”

Then, studying the arrangement of the pearls and the strange characters carved into the surrounding stones, he spoke again.

“Miss Tang, doesn’t it feel like the soul-invading force is coming from there?”

“What? From the luminous pearls?”

Focusing her spirit, Tang Yeo-eun examined the strange power that was trying to invade her soul.

Just as Seonu Jin had said, she could feel it—emanating from the luminous pearls and the inscriptions carved around them.

With a startled face, she exclaimed:

“You’re right! It really is coming from them!”

Seonu Jin looked down the passage at the endless line of luminous pearls.

It seemed the entire passage itself was a vast formation designed to drive people insane.

Swallowing dryly, he muttered:

“What in the world was the Radiant Sword trying to accomplish? Why create such a massive formation…?”

Why would he leave his inheritance here in a place designed not as a trial of skill, but as a trap to drive people mad?

There was no way to know.

The two decided to keep moving forward.

For a long while, the passage remained unchanged.

The same circular corridor stretching endlessly ahead.

At first, they moved cautiously, wary of further traps, but aside from the strange spiritual pressure that the Daeyeon Jeongshim-gyeol was blocking, no other traps appeared.

Tang Yeo-eun spoke uneasily.

“Why is it only this same path forward? Isn’t it strange that there are no other traps? That makes me even more nervous.”

Seonu Jin shook his head.

“No… I don’t think it’s straight.”

“What do you mean?”

“The passage curves ever so slightly to the side—as if drawing a massive circle.”

Peering carefully, Tang Yeo-eun realized he was right.

“Oh, now that you mention it… yes, it’s curving just a little. But what’s the point of that?”

Seonu Jin frowned slightly.

“If this really is a circular passage, and it keeps looping like this, then maybe…”

At that very moment, Seonu Jin sensed a fierce presence rushing toward them from ahead.

He urgently transmitted his voice to Tang Yeo-eun.

—“Miss Tang, someone’s coming from the front!”

—“From the front? Who?”

—“Most likely… Mok Woojeon. If this really is a circular corridor, it makes sense.”

—“What?! Ah!”

Tang Yeo-eun instantly understood.

Because the passage was circular, anyone running the opposite way would eventually meet them head-on.

So Mok Woojeon, who had gone the other way earlier, had now appeared before them.

Even so, Tang Yeo-eun still couldn’t shake her doubts.

If what Seonu Jin said was true, then the fork earlier was meaningless—just two routes of the same circle.

If this corridor was nothing more than a circular tunnel, then why had the Radiant Sword gone to the trouble of making it this way?

Seonu Jin wondered the same.

But right now, that question was the least of their worries.

He shoved aside his speculation and focused on what they should do next.

Quickly, he scanned the surroundings, his mind racing.

‘This isn’t good. Even if Miss Tang and I join forces, we can’t face Mok Woojeon head-on. From how he broke through Ga Yuak earlier, his madness may have boosted his martial power even further. And the environment here is terrible—such a narrow passage makes it hard to use my specialties, illusion sword techniques or movement arts.’

The situation was grim.

Seonu Jin bit his lip and glanced at Tang Yeo-eun.

If he were alone, he could at least hide with stealth techniques. But with her beside him, that wasn’t possible.

‘No choice, then.’

Suddenly, a massive vibration shook the walls of the corridor, surging toward them.

Wuuuuuuung!

The cave shook as if struck by an earthquake.

“What the—?!”

The great tremor rippled along the walls. Seonu Jin instantly recognized what it was.

“Damn it!”

Clenching his teeth, he lunged toward Tang Yeo-eun, covering her ears with both hands and pulling her tightly into his arms.

He acted the instant the vibrations struck.

Caught off guard, Tang Yeo-eun’s face flushed bright red as she found herself held against him.

“Y-young Master?!”

But then, a wave of colossal sound engulfed them.

—Kruaaaaaahhhhhh!

A thunderous roar reverberated through the entire passage, crashing over them like a storm.

It was Mok Woojeon’s roar, amplified by the cave until it battered them like a tidal wave of sound.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Tang Yeo-eun screamed as the violent sound force pounded her body.

The sonic blast was strong enough to cause pain to her skin—had Seonu Jin not covered her ears and shielded her, her eardrums would have burst instantly.

The tide of sound hammered at them for a short while before fading.

Tang Yeo-eun quickly pulled herself from Seonu Jin’s arms, looking at him in alarm.

Since he had shielded her, he himself had taken the sound attack unprotected.

There was no way he could be unharmed after enduring that.

“Young Master!”

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she called out.

But to her relief, Seonu Jin looked relatively fine.

His face was a bit pale, but he smiled reassuringly at her.

“Don’t worry, Miss Tang. I sealed my ears with inner energy, and besides, my external arts protect me from most impacts.”

Then he added urgently:

“But more importantly, Mok Woojeon is coming. From that sound attack, it’s clear his martial strength has increased even further in madness. We need to flee at once.”

Tang Yeo-eun nodded quickly.

“Yes! You’re right—let’s go!”

But Seonu Jin shook his head.

“No. If we run together, it’ll be too slow. His speed is greater than yours—he’ll catch us. You must go first. I’ll hold him off for a while, then follow.”

At that, Tang Yeo-eun cried out in protest, as if it were unthinkable.

“That’s not possible!”

But Seonu Jin smiled confidently, reassuring her.

“Don’t worry, Miss. If things get dangerous, I’ll run immediately. You know my movement arts—there’s no way he could ever catch me.”

“B-but still!”

“There’s no time. Run as fast as you can, back the way we came. I’ll follow shortly.”

Just then, before Tang Yeo-eun could reply, the sound of Mok Woojeon’s footsteps thundered from afar.

Tadadadadak!

Seonu Jin had been right.

They were truly out of time.

“Hurry! Go now!”

He gently shoved her in the opposite direction.

Her body lifted and flew forward—her eyes brimming with tears, she glanced back at him once and called out a final plea before sprinting away.

“Please… stay safe, Young Master!”

Seonu Jin watched her retreating figure for a moment.

Then, he coughed up the blood he had been holding back.

“Kurgh!”

Chwaaaak!

A mouthful of crimson blood splattered across the cave floor.

“Ugh!”

What he had told Tang Yeo-eun earlier—that he was unharmed—had been a lie.

His body was badly injured internally, leaving him barely able to move.

When the cave had trembled like an earthquake, he had known immediately that a sonic wave was about to hit. He had realized this because sound travels faster through solid earth than air.

The instant he felt the vibrations along the cave wall, he knew the devastating roar would follow.

But what he hadn’t anticipated was that his own body would be far more vulnerable to such an attack.

The very body he had trained to be so solid had conducted the vibrations inward all too easily.

So while he had shielded Tang Yeo-eun, he had ended up suffering even worse damage than she would have.

With a bitter smile, Seonu Jin muttered:

“Damn it… now what do I do?”

Tadadadadak!

The sound of Mok Woojeon’s charging footsteps grew ever closer.

***

Even in the faint green glow, Mok Woojeon’s blazing crimson eyes shone as he tore down the passage like a mad beast.

His mind held no memories, no rational thought.

Only one thing burned fiercely: his rage against the Twin Demonic Swords.

Yet no matter how far he ran, he could not find them.

The longer he failed to spot them, the more his fury built—like a volcano ready to erupt.

Finally, unable to contain it any longer, he gathered all his energy into his chest and released it in a feral roar.

“Kruaaaaaaaahhhh!”

Stopping in place, he roared like a lion—his voice surging through the passage as a massive tidal wave.

A moment later, his sharpened ears picked up something faint…

A woman’s scream.

Distant, but real.

Something was ahead of him.

“Grrrrr…”

Mok Woojeon growled like a beast and bolted forward, eyes fixed straight ahead like a predator on the hunt.

He could not—would not—lose them again.

At that same moment, Seonu Jin heard the terrifying approach and made his choice.

With his injuries and the enemy’s strength, facing him directly was suicide.

So he clung to the ceiling like a spider, concealing himself as best he could.

But in the narrow, circular passage, there was almost nowhere to hide.

His only option was to press himself into the shadows beside one of the luminous pearls embedded in the wall.

Right next to the source of light itself—the darkest place is right beneath the lamp.

It was his only hope.

“This has to work…”

Heart pounding, Seonu Jin listened as the pounding footsteps thundered closer.

Tadadadadada!

He had grown confident in his stealth techniques, but even so, there was no guarantee they would fool a master with over ninety years of cultivation.

And this cave was hardly ideal for concealment.

If Mok Woojeon looked even slightly carefully, he’d be discovered.

And if that happened, it would be the end.

Tadadadadak!

Now he could see the figure with his own eyes—eyes blazing red, charging like a wild beast with prey in its sights.

Gulp!

Then, in a blur, Mok Woojeon thundered past directly beneath him.

Thududududuk!

Seonu Jin exhaled deeply in relief.

He hadn’t been spotted.

Thank the heavens.

He began to prepare his next move—

But then, suddenly, Mok Woojeon screeched to a halt.

Skreeeeech!

Seonu Jin’s heart plummeted.

The man stopped in place, nostrils flaring.

Sniff sniff!

He was smelling the air.

And then realization struck Seonu Jin like lightning.

Blood.

The scent of the blood he had coughed earlier.

Snarling like a beast, Mok Woojeon lowered his head to the ground, sniffing along the passage—then turned back toward where the blood had fallen.

Seonu Jin’s heart pounded like a drum in his chest.

Then, suddenly, Mok Woojeon raised his head.

If he lifted it just a little higher… their eyes would meet.

Seonu Jin’s chest threatened to burst.

“Damn it!”