Book 12 Chapter 5

Crisis point! Na Yerim

“Thi-this can’t be!”

Mosaryeong couldn't believe his own sharp, glaring eyes.

He was long past the age of presbyopia, but thanks to his accumulated inner strength, he had been managing without much trouble. But what in the world was that thing down there?

As his gaze fell downward, a small circular clearing was revealed. About half a Jang in radius? The problem was that the cute ones he had raised wouldn't approach within that circle.

And in the center stood someone possessing a beauty that couldn't be considered human.

‘Surely they aren't covering their faces with their looks?’

Judging by the beauty, it was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out.

‘Indeed, it's a beauty that could captivate not only humans but all living animals… Pfft, if only I were fifty years younger…’

For a moment, forgetting his age, Bisamagun’s thoughts went astray in a foolish direction. But still, his common sense couldn't comprehend it at all. In his over a hundred years of life, it was the first time he had ever seen such a thing.

‘What in the world is going on?’

While everyone else was busy cutting down the greedy, ravenous snake swarm that was charging at them, Na Yerim couldn't believe how leisurely she was. It was incomprehensible. Even now, the area within half a Jang around her was empty, as if enclosed by an invisible wall. Even these snakes, trained to bring death and fear, hesitated to approach her recklessly. While screams from the snake swarm echoed all around, not once did Na Yerim show the whites of her eyes. Instead, they tried to slink away from her surroundings.

‘They're afraid!’

The snakes were clearly afraid of her.

‘Why?’

Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind like lightning.

‘Take this!’

Na Yerim's gaze turned towards her waist.

‘It's an amulet!’

In her memory, Biryuyeon smiled innocently and extended his hand. In it was a peculiar ornament shaped like a black new moon (crescent moon). It somewhat resembled a small buffalo horn, with intricate silverwork at the tip and dangling tassels of lustrous black silk and silver thread below.

‘This and that make a pair. Someday, this will protect Yerim!’

He pointed to an ornament of the same shape hanging from his waist and smiled.

‘…So that’s it!’

It was the gift she received from Biryuyeon, who called it an amulet. It was made by silver-carving one of the two fangs of the Muklin Hyulmang. She had accepted it at the time because there was no good reason to refuse. And for some reason, it had always been hanging from Na Yerim's slender waist.

After obtaining the Muklin Hyulmang, Biryuyeon kept it in a secret location and then, after the business was concluded, completely disassembled it and sold it in various places at high prices.

As rumors spread within the Cheonmu Academy that the flesh of the Muklin Hyulmang, secretly leaked by someone, was effective in increasing inner strength, the disciples of Cheonmu Academy, who had a stronger desire to become powerful than anyone else and were also wealthy, rushed to become his good customers.

Even the skin of the Hyulmang, Muklinpi, which couldn't be scratched by ordinary swords, was sold at a high price. It was a rare material for making light, sturdy, and durable armor. The skin of the Muklin Hyulmang was worth a thousand gold pieces. To process the Muklinpi, he even had to find Cheon Gisu, the most skilled artisan at Cheonmu Academy. No one else dared to process the Muklinpi, which was harder and tougher than steel. After a certain transaction, he gladly processed a large amount of Muklinpi. Afterward, Cheon Gisu is said to have shut himself in his workshop for days and nights, forgetting to eat and sleep, consumed by his passion to research and process the special materials he received.

‘It's certain!’

The scent emanating from these black fangs (though undetectable by human senses) was clearly instilling fear in the snakes.

‘Ryuyeon…’

His face, always smiling without fear, appeared before her eyes. Then, without realizing it herself, a faint smile touched her lips. Fear and tension vanished like dust.

However, Na Yerim was not yet aware of the increasing importance he held in her heart.

“It’s endless, no matter how much I burn them! Does that old geezer have some kind of magic pouch that spews out infinite snakes?”

Yeomdo, who had been diligently cremating snakes after the barbecue feast, grumbled.

“How could that be? Stop with the bluster at such a crucial moment! The danger is far from over. From what I've heard, the horrors of the Bisajin are not limited to this!”

“Tsk, you're like a mother-in-law!”

*Snap!*

Veins bulged on Binggeom's forehead. However, he desperately controlled his reason and managed to speak. In his heart, he wanted to deliver a powerful blow to Yeomdo's head, but he decided to endure, being the learned one.

“…If the one controlling these four images is truly Bisamagun Mosaryeong, you must be especially cautious of his Cheonghong Shuangjiaoshe (Blue-Red Twin-Horned Snakes)!”

“Cheonghong Shuangjiaoshe? Tsk, just a snake…”

Binggeom roared at Yeomdo's dismissive reaction.

“Don't underestimate them as mere snakes! They are no longer simple snakes. Of course, it wouldn't be a loss if you carelessly died due to carelessness, but…”

Truly, this man never listened to advice. Moreover, his reckless, fearless spirit was unmatched. It was incredibly infuriating.

*Snap!*

This time, veins bulged on Yeomdo's bronze forehead.

“They are already divine beings, incomparable to these trivial snakes. One of them is worth tens of thousands of these venomous snakes. Furthermore, although not precisely known, they are said to possess some special abilities. There's an old record that says, ‘Do not make eye contact with the Cheonghong Shuangjiaoshe. Disaster will follow the moment you meet their gaze.’ If you underestimate them, you’ll be on your way to the underworld in an instant. Of course, for emphasis, I'll say it again: I have absolutely nothing to lose!”

Although every word he spoke was unlucky, Yeomdo flinched when he felt the tension in Binggeom's gaze. It was the look in his eyes when he faced a formidable enemy. Not many enemies could make this unlucky ice cube that tense.

A sense of caution began to rise within him as well.

“The weather today is so unpredictable!”

*Shhshhshhshh! Shushushushushuk!*

Then, a rain of arrows and a hail of snakes!

To add insult to injury, it was a perfect opportunity to truly grasp the meaning of “mountains upon mountains of trouble.” It was a damn situation that made him want to curse, and he hoped to never encounter it again in his life.

“It’s endless at this rate!”

Cheongheun shouted, slashing his sword fiercely. So far, neither snake nor arrow had touched him, but they couldn't just keep defending endlessly. They would be the ones to run out of energy first.

The snake attacks continued relentlessly. Suddenly, Cheongheun turned his head to look at Moyonghwi. Moyonghwi was already slashing his sword fiercely by his side. Their positions were very close.

Their gazes met simultaneously.

Moyonghwi nodded. Cheongheun also nodded. Was it telepathy? It was a moment when their opinions became one.

Three Emotions Tai Chi Sword Wisdom

Primordial Chaos, Ten Thousand Changes Born

Cheongheun leaped into the air, slashing three swords glowing in blue, red, and yellow in all directions. The blue, red, and yellow energies revolved above his head, forming a three-colored Tai Chi sphere.

Galaxy Flow, Creation Sword

Ultimate Wisdom

Assisting him, Moyonghwi surrounded himself with a sword aura that shone with a dazzling silver light, like the North Star at the center of the night sky, and ascended. The silver sword pierced the center of the Tai Chi sphere formed by Cheongheun.

It was the moment when two peerless martial arts merged into one.

*Boom! Kwa-gwa-gwa-kwang!*

From the Tai Chi, a meteor shower storm filled the heavens and poured down. Thousands of meteors tore through every direction. The meteor shower that spread into the sky ripped apart the sky that had been polluted with snakes and arrows.

The sky, dyed red with twilight, reappeared above the torn space. No matter how ferocious the snakes or how fast the arrows, they were merely neatly sliced slices before their combined sword energy.

What was forced upon them during the intensive training at Wudang Mountain was making its brilliant debut in the world.

“Good! That’s what a disciple of Cheonmu Academy should be like!”

Yeomdo shouted enthusiastically.

“Chop them all to pieces without mercy! Tonight, it’s roasted snake, roasted snake. Hahahaha!”

Red flames erupted from Yeomdo's saber again, sweeping in all directions. The snakes swept up in his sword flame energy instantly turned into roasted snakes and fell to the ground.

Binggeom, not to be outdone, swung his sword, and the snakes caught in the sword cold energy emanating from Bingrui were frozen solid, maintaining their freshness, with white frost forming on their green scales. If seen at a Gae Bang stall, it would surely have been coveted.

“Th-these brats… they’re harming my cute babies…”

Mosaryeong’s delicate (?) heart ached as the offspring he had meticulously nurtured and raised were dismembered by the hands of savage evildoers. It felt as if his own children were being murdered.

Moreover, Yeomdo's taunts of "Where is Bisamajol? Come out and play with me!" continued noisily. Killing intent surged in Mosaryeong's wicked snake eyes. He decided to stop at nothing to avenge his babies.

“I hoped I wouldn't have to use these!”

He drew out his Mansahyeoljang. The Cheonghong Shuangjiaoshe nested inside his staff, feeding and living. They were divine beings he had raised for a hundred years. Many had suffered misfortune by facing this Mansahyeoljang, mistaking it for an ordinary staff.

The Cheonghong Shuangjiaoshe are a pair, male and female. The male has blue scales, and the female has red scales. Both have small horns, hence the name Cheonghong Shuangjiaoshe.

These creatures were more than thirty times faster, more agile, and more cunning than any venomous snakes he had trained. Furthermore, they possessed venom more than fifty times stronger than ordinary snakes.

“Draw!”

As he extended his hand, a Hyulma member quickly and respectfully handed him a bow.

“Arrow!”

A blood-red arrow was placed in his right hand. He drew the black bowstring and nocked the blood-red arrow. Two red and blue ropes coiled around his arm, twisting like a snake around the arrow shaft, coiling at the arrowhead.

They had horns on their foreheads as if they were dragons. The tip of the arrow, pulled taut, aimed at Na Yerim, who stood in the center of the clearing.

Biryuyeon saw it. He could normally not see it, but Biryuyeon's eyes, which were no longer ordinary, could clearly see through the wall of mist.

As the barrage of arrows began to lessen, as if the cloud layer had thinned, he saw a bowstring in the hand of some old snake-like rascal, aiming a wriggling, peculiar arrow towards the battlefield below the gorge!

He quickly realized that the wriggling, ominous arrowhead was targeting the small, circular clearing at the bottom, which resembled the gaping mouth of hell. For some reason, snakes could not approach that clearing.

Biryuyeon couldn't understand why it enraged the old snake so fiercely. Or rather, he was in no position to know anything about the old man's anger or identity.

All Biryuyeon knew was that he was an exceptionally outstanding master, incomparable to the noticeable figures around, and that the terrifying killing intent he exuded was directed at the center of the clearing below, and at its center was Na Yerim.

The moment this fact was confirmed, Biryuyeon's eyes widened. He glared at Mosaryeong with renewed intensity. However, he still lacked the ability to kill someone with just a glare.

“Stop!”

A giant shout, like the roar of the thunder god, erupted. A colossal will washed over Mosaryeong's entire body like a tidal wave. The waves of will pierced him like countless blades. But Mosaryeong was also a master, like a hundred-year-old cunning serpent who had endured countless trials.

For a moment, his movement faltered in surprise, but he did not stop his actions. He once again summoned a dark, lustful will from his heart, drew the bowstring, and aimed. Although there was a brief delay, nothing had changed. An ordinary person would have had their legs give out and dropped the bow in surprise at Biryuyeon's shout, but the old monster was indeed cunning and detestable.

Biryuyeon's heart grew urgent as he watched the taut bow. He moved hastily. But then, something incomprehensible and strange happened. Suddenly, time around him seemed to slow down. His every movement was heavy and cumbersome, as if walking through the immense pressure of the deep sea.

He could see with perfect clarity what the old snake's head across the gorge was about to do, so evil.

The emaciated hand pulled back was reaching its peak. His arm stopped drawing the bowstring. Then, very slowly, his right index finger and thumb released the string. The arrow flew.

At this moment, Biryuyeon was stepping on a chain anchored below. Na Yerim seemed to be still preoccupied with deflecting the arrows flying at her. The amulet seemed to ward off snakes, but not the rain of arrows.

Biryuyeon knew, to the bone, that the red arrow was by no means an ordinary arrow (though he didn't know its history or hidden stories, he knew its power).

It was a dangerous object. Biryuyeon leaped downward with all his might. The wind stopped, and even time seemed to slow down.

Mosaryeong's snake-like eyes, now freed from the bowstring, were filled with joy, desire, and cruelty. He clearly possessed absolute confidence in his strike. The red arrow, freed from the string, tore through the air and approached Na Yerim. Though it was a mere moment, it seemed to Biryuyeon as if it were frozen. However, just as they seemed to be moving slowly from his perspective, he was also moving at a maddeningly slow pace, to the point of exasperation and heart-bursting anger.

His eyes blazed with a bright golden light, like the sun. It was a race between the arrow and human speed. But this race was won by the red Hyulmajeon, which had a faster start. When the Hyulmajeon reached Na Yerim's proximity, Biryuyeon was still more than ten Jang away. It was impossible to catch up in time. Nor was it reasonable to expect her to notice and understand.

'Noooooo!'

Biryuyeon's spirit let out a silent scream. He did not give up until the very end.

At the very instant the Hyulmajeon was about to pierce Na Yerim's body, Biryuyeon extended his right hand with all his soul's strength.

*Pat!*

Suddenly, an arrow shot up into the air. A transparent silver thread, dangling like a long tail in the descending sunlight, glittered like jeweled sand.

The situation was as follows.

At the moment an utterly lawless, inconsiderate, and imbecilic outlaw shot a Hyulmajeon, attempting to destroy and insult the most beautiful embodiment of beauty in existence, a silver flash, like starlight, shot out from Biryuyeon's right sleeve with the speed of lightning. Even in this place where time moved slowly, it was faster, as if ignoring the wall of time.

The silver flash arrived at the point of the Hyulmajeon almost instantly, as if transcending time and space, and before he could even blink, it wrapped around the tail feathers of that ill-fated violence and tossed it into the air. Once its direction was lost, the arrow was no longer useful as a weapon.

However, something Biryuyeon had not anticipated occurred: although the wicked-intent arrow lost its power, the two monstrous beasts clinging to its tip did not lose their strength or target. They were also loyal servants filled with the will to fulfill their master's desires.

From the sky where the arrow shot up, blue and red streaks of light fell like fired arrows. From the open mouths of these wicked divine beings, each possessing the poison of a thousand ordinary snakes, deadly white fangs flashed like the scythe of death.

*Pang! Kwakwakwak!*

At that moment, with a deafening roar that tore the air, a cloud of dust erupted around Na Yerim. The air seemed to swirl around her. The dust, violently kicked up, momentarily obscured her vision. Blinking her eyes open, she realized a valiant and trustworthy back was blocking her way. And in his hands, a blue and a red horned snake were held, struggling to escape.

It was only then that she realized she had once again been saved by Biryuyeon. She also knew how dangerous and fearsome these two snakes were.

“Ryuyeon…”

Na Yerim whispered his name in a quiet voice. The voice calling his name was not cold like winter, but soft like spring. However, she was at a loss for what to say next. Words to follow did not easily come to mind.

“Are you alright?”

Biryuyeon asked, turning around with a smile. Na Yerim smiled slightly and nodded. She felt a surge of trust in him welling up.

“I’m always receiving your help. I never thought I was weak enough to need help like this… You always appear when I'm in danger, when I'm in pain, and extend a helping hand.”

How many times had she been helped now? Whenever she was in crisis, he always remembered to appear. And he was by her side. She thought, ‘I can entrust my back to this person…’

Biryuyeon smiled back, but not with a cheerful laugh.

‘…Was it too much?’

Biryuyeon felt his entire body's muscles shiver and scream like electric eels. His whole body tingled. His body had clearly been overexerted. It was evident that at some point, his body had been operated beyond its limits.

‘What was that just now?’

Biryuyeon carefully replayed the events he had just experienced. It was a world that couldn't be defined by words.

‘Did I cross another wall?’

Past memories vividly surfaced in his mind.

‘This world is made of points, lines, and surfaces in three dimensions. But if you add time to this, it becomes a four-dimensional world. The human body cannot escape the three dimensions, but the human mind can break through those boundaries and reach the four-dimensional world. Then, the human mind can transcend time. If you keep up with time before that, all surrounding objects will move slowly, and even you yourself will move slowly. And due to friction, the air will feel hot.’

‘Is this what my master spoke of?’

The heat still lingered on his face. But he still couldn't easily define what he had seen.