Chapter 21 – Tomb (5)

Fortunately, no other traps or snakes were visible while descending downward.

The group could move with comfortable minds through the somewhat narrow passage.

The passage showed equipment for operating traps and mechanisms here and there, but most seemed too old to function.

The group ignored the broken equipment and continued descending, arriving at a dead end before long.

“Hmm, fortunately this place isn’t broken.”

Wang Mun-pung even hummed while beginning to touch various parts of the wall with the intact mechanism.

But Wang Mun-pung’s humming didn’t last long. Hwangbo Ja-gyeom had brought up words that killed his mood.

“It’s good to be in high spirits, but we should probably hurry.”

This time Wang Mun-pung couldn’t nitpick at his words. When he focused his internal energy on his ears, violent combat sounds could be heard from behind the wall.

Wang Mun-pung’s hands became busy.

“Done!”

When Wang Mun-pung finally tapped the lower part of the wall, the wall blocking them began rattling and sinking downward.

***

The battle taking place in the stone chamber was becoming increasingly fierce.

In the large underground stone chamber, as big as a school auditorium, many coffins could be seen, but the coffins that should have been arranged in orderly fashion were already completely broken and in chaos.

Screech!

This was because one giant python was causing havoc in the center of the stone chamber.

A python large enough to swallow several people in one bite was smashing stone coffins, and around that snake, two masters were facing the snake.

They were the Demon Cult Grand Master who had chased down the Blood Cult masked figures and the second son of the Tang Clan head.

The two had arrived at this stone chamber in turn and were forced to join forces due to the python that suddenly attacked them.

The Demon Cult Grand Master, who had been unleashing sword energy from afar, leaped over the python’s tail and swung his sword toward the python’s back.

The sword energy that shot from his sword had turned blue and sliced through the python’s back scales, and blood spurted up from the long gaping wound.

“Vicious poison.”

Though the python was covered in blood from his sword energy, the Grand Master’s expression wasn’t very bright.

This was because the python’s saliva and blood contained powerful poison, making it impossible to approach.

Even though he was a peak-level sword master, he couldn’t deliver a proper finishing blow by only unleashing sword energy from a distance, and his internal energy wasn’t much left now either.

If the Tang Clan’s Poison Rakshasa who joined midway hadn’t helped, he might have been the one defeated.

He had poisoned various parts of the python’s body with throwing stars loaded with poison, creating the current situation.

Thanks to this, victory over the python was now in sight, but he couldn’t help but worry about the Blood Cult guys watching from a distance.

Though they weren’t approaching now due to the snake’s poison and the Tang Clan’s Poison Rakshasa, they seemed ready to attack as soon as the python fell.

And some were working to open the large door inside the stone chamber. Though they couldn’t open it immediately due to it being locked with mechanisms, it seemed only a matter of time.

That’s when it happened. Part of the northern wall of the stone chamber had descended downward. Everyone’s gaze turned to the wall.

A middle-aged man with a goat beard poked his head out from the opened wall.

“Huh, feels like we got the timing wrong?”

Wang Mun-pung, who had confirmed the situation inside the stone chamber, pulled his body back.

“Get out of the way. We have to settle this anyway, so what’s the point of backing away?”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s voice came from behind the wall, then he entered the stone chamber. And he had no choice but to frantically swing his blade.

The Blood Cult masked figures who had been waiting nearby had launched themselves at him.

“You old geezer! You should have given me advance notice!”

“Hehehe, it’s your fault for jumping out ahead.”

While being attacked by three Blood Cult members, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom shouted, and Wang Mun-pung’s leisurely voice came from inside the passage.

And toward that voice, another Blood Cult member leaped into the passage.

Slash!

The very next moment, a Blood Cult member covered in blood was flung out of the passage, and Nan-seol emerged like the wind.

She rushed toward the struggling Hwangbo Ja-gyeom, and the tide of battle was instantly reversed.

No matter how much stronger they were than other first-class warriors, the numbers were too few to face two peak warriors. All the Blood Cult members met their deaths by sword and blade.

“It looks like Mount Hua will produce a proper master. Is it time to escape the hardships of 15 years?”

Wang Mun-pung muttered while looking at Nan-seol as he emerged into the stone chamber.

’15 years?’

Sun-woo felt puzzled by Wang Mun-pung’s words, but he would have to put his curiosity aside. The situation inside the stone chamber was rapidly changing due to the group’s intrusion.

With no Blood Cult members left to watch, the Demon Cult and Tang Clan masters who could now focus on the python finally succeeded in bringing down the python, and meanwhile the Blood Cult members who had been working on the mechanism succeeded in opening the door inside the stone chamber and entering.

“Hmm, so this is the center of the formation. They used the death energy of corpses to gather the yin energy of the gorge here to construct the formation. That python guy was smashing it up, which weakened the formation.”

Wang Mun-pung nodded while looking at the fallen python. But Hwangbo Ja-gyeom clicked his tongue regretfully while looking at the python.

“Tsk, it seems that python isn’t the contamination source.”

This was because no mission completion voice was heard.

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom, who shook his head, tried to move with the group toward the door where the Blood Cult members had disappeared.

“Let’s chase them before it’s too late.”

“Wait!”

Wang Mun-pung’s shout stopped his steps.

Wang Mun-pung’s finger was pointing in front of the group.

There was the python lying split in half, the Demon Cult Grand Master leaning on his sword and catching his breath, and finally Tang Sa-hae crouched on the ground with his head down.

Wang Mun-pung’s finger was pointing precisely at Tang Sa-hae.

“What’s wrong?”

“The contamination has progressed too long. I should have realized immediately seeing the ridiculously large number of contaminated snakes.”

Whoosh!

At the same time as Wang Mun-pung’s answer, the arms of the crouched Tang Sa-hae spread to the sides, and white powder poured from his hands onto the Demon Cult master’s body.

At the sudden attack, the Grand Master reflexively swung his sword and retreated, but half his body was already covered in powder.

“Arrrgh!”

The Grand Master’s scream echoed through the stone chamber.

And Tang Sa-hae, who had been crouched, stood up. His eyes when he raised his head were stained red.

At the same time, a voice was heard in the group’s ears.

[Additional contamination confirmed. Please quickly eliminate the contamination source to prevent contamination.]

“Don’t tell me civilians who enter later also get contaminated?”

Sun-woo’s expression became serious.

“Why would they call it a contamination source? Of course it’s called a contamination source because it can contaminate the surroundings. Tsk tsk. It seems first-class internal energy couldn’t last long.”

Wang Mun-pung glanced at the shattered python.

“The contamination source seems to have been in the formation for a really long time. Thanks to that, it had the ability to contaminate even more after contaminating all the snakes.”

The internal energy confusion that had been tormenting the Demon Cult and righteous sect warriors all along wasn’t due to snake poison or the formation’s influence. It was because of the contamination invading them.

Unlike the Demon Cult master who was a peak master, Tang Sa-hae, whose internal energy wasn’t deep, couldn’t endure and was contaminated first.

“Then aren’t we also in danger?”

At Sun-woo’s words, Wang Mun-pung clicked his tongue.

“You really know nothing. Why do you think we became summoners? Because we have high martial arts? Or because we have strange techniques?”

This was the first time hearing such a story. Sun-woo and Nan-seol’s eyes naturally turned to Wang Mun-pung.

“The reason we became summoners is simply because we have high resistance to contamination. Well, among those, they picked the ones good at fighting.”

Sun-woo wanted to ask him more, but avoiding the poison-coated throwing stars and poison powder came first.

“Oh no, a poison arts master is the most troublesome!”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom, Nan-seol, and Wang Mun-pung launched themselves backward to avoid the attack, but Sun-woo stood in place and stomped his foot.

Thud!

When Sun-woo stomped his foot, the ground in front of the group began to rise. The flying throwing stars stuck into the earth wall, and the poison powder Tang Sa-hae scattered only dispersed when it hit the rising earth wall.

The group that had launched backward looked at the earth wall in bewilderment, and Tang Sa-hae, whose attack was blocked, screamed from behind the wall.

“I’ll kill everyone! You guys blocking the front too! The clan head who drives his son to death! My brother who mocks me!”

Tang Sa-hae’s voice moved quickly. He seemed about to come around the wall.

But the earth wall wasn’t completed yet. The earth wall gradually extended sideways. No, earth walls were rising farther and farther based on Sun-woo’s front.

The earth wall continued expanding as if drawing a circle, eventually surrounding Tang Sa-hae.

“What is this!”

Surprised Tang Sa-hae tried to climb over the earth wall, but the earth wall had already connected to the ceiling.

“Remove it!”

“Think I’ll remove it just because you say so?”

At the shouts of Tang Sa-hae trapped in the earth wall, Sun-woo muttered quietly.

“Your sorcery is really amazing.”

It was Wang Mun-pung’s words as he approached.

Sun-woo’s sorcery was constantly being mistaken for sorcery here. It seemed there were similar techniques in this fantasy world, like elementalism.

[TL Note- Second sorcery is referring to the sorcery of the murim world.]

“But in this state, we can’t attack either.”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom spoke while pointing at the earth wall. From inside the earth wall came the sound of Tang Sa-hae breaking the earth wall with his fists.

“Still, this is something. If he had sprayed poison throughout the stone chamber like he did to the Demon Cult guy, we would have had no choice but to retreat.”

Wang Mun-pung’s words were right. But as Hwangbo Ja-gyeom said, they couldn’t keep the earth wall up like this.

“Are you alright? You look very tired.”

Looking at Sun-woo, Nan-seol asked worriedly. As she said, Sun-woo was gradually running out of energy.

Sun-woo’s sorcery, which had risen to 5th class, could now create powerful earth walls over a wide range unlike before.

Of course, it would be difficult to stop peak warriors like Nan-seol or Hwangbo Ja-gyeom, but it was sufficient to stop Tang Sa-hae, whose martial arts were only first-class level.

However, the Three Talents Qigong supporting the sorcery hadn’t grown as much as expected, making it difficult to maintain this state for long.

“In the end, we’ll have to have a proper fight?”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom looked at Sun-woo’s face and raised his blade. Wang Mun-pung also seemed to notice the signs and appeared to be preparing to flee quickly.

But Sun-woo had no intention of ending it like this either. There was one more technique he had gained from leveling up.

Sun-woo began walking forward while drawing up his remaining qigong.

Rumble rumble.

The earth wall began to move. The earth wall gradually began narrowing in pace with Sun-woo’s steps. The giant circular earth wall became smaller and smaller, and Tang Sa-hae inside screamed.

“No! I’m going to kill everyone! I have to erase my family and the Tang Clan too!”

“Is he a delinquent youth?”

Sun-woo ignored Tang Sa-hae’s cries and continued walking forward.

Rumble rumble!

Shortly after, the earth wall merged into one to become an earth pillar, and Tang Sa-hae’s voice that had been screaming was no longer heard.

“He’s dead.”

Along with Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s words, Sun-woo sat down on the spot.

He had used his internal energy to the limit.

“Good work. Leave the rest to us.”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom patted Sun-woo’s shoulder and looked at the door the Blood Cult members had entered.

“I’ll come with you.”

But Sun-woo had no intention of stopping here. He took out a potion from his phone and poured it into his mouth. Internal energy instantly refilled.

“Something keeps popping out endlessly.”

Wang Mun-pung’s eyes widened as he looked Sun-woo up and down.

“Please go ahead. I’ll follow soon.”

When Sun-woo’s internal energy was refilled, Nan-seol said she would stay here for a while. Sun-woo tilted his head at this, but Wang Mun-pung and Hwangbo Ja-gyeom seemed to understand what was happening.

Sun-woo, Wang Mun-pung, and Hwangbo Ja-gyeom immediately entered the door the Blood Cult members had entered, and Nan-seol remained to see them off.

Shortly after, the stone chamber was left with Nan-seol, the earth pillar where the dead Tang Sa-hae was buried, the shattered pythons and corpses, and finally the Demon Cult Grand Master in critical condition from the poison arts.

When the group disappeared, Nan-seol turned and approached the Demon Cult master who was using internal energy to stop the poison’s progress. A sword was drawn from Nan-seol’s waist.

The Demon Cult Grand Master, who had been desperately blocking the poison, finally gave up and scattered the internal energy he had been gathering. His face immediately turned green.

He looked at Nan-seol approaching him and shook his head.

“Even if you don’t swing your sword, I won’t last much longer.”

But Nan-seol ignored his words and approached to stand before him, then opened her mouth.

“Mount Hua Sect’s 3rd generation disciple Nan-seol. I request a life-and-death duel with the Demon Cult’s 2nd Grand Master.”

The Grand Master, who had been gasping from the spreading poison, looked at the Mount Hua disciple before him and gave a bitter smile.

Though it was absurd for someone to request a life-and-death duel with him as he was dying, considering the opponent’s sect, it was natural.

“Indeed. That would be fitting for Mount Hua.”

Recalling what had happened 15 years ago, he had no choice but to nod.

He forced himself to raise his sword, and Nan-seol swung her sword toward him as he was dying.

Slash!