Chapter 67: The Tomb of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden (4)

After stepping into the tenth path, which hadn’t even been part of the plan, a single emotion surged among us all.

Magnificent. And beautiful!

“Hoho, such a beautiful mural! Moreover, it seems to have significant value in terms of sorcery as well.”

The straight path ahead was lined with vividly colored paintings, densely etched along the walls.

Upon seeing the breathtaking sight, Bang Manhu was utterly delighted, just like a child.

Even though centuries must have passed, there was no sign that the colors had faded or dulled from environmental exposure.

Sa Biyeon gently brushed her fingers along the wall and murmured,  

“This style is quite unusual. I wonder what kind of material was used to paint it?”

“Are you interested in art?”

“Even if I weren’t, I’d have to be. To work in the Upper World, you need to be good at flattering fools who’ll pay thousands in gold for a few brushstrokes.”

“……”

“R-Right.”

Sa Biyeon’s views on art turned out to be far more radical than expected. Both Bang Manhu and I shut our mouths immediately.

After examining it for a while, Sa Biyeon tilted her head.

“Still, something’s odd.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the content of this mural.”

Sa Biyeon frowned slightly.

“This looks like a scene where monsters are devouring humans.”

“Hmmm!”

Despite the vibrant colors and the intricate detail, the murals depicted monsters either fighting among themselves or eating naked humans.

It was the kind of imagery that made any human viewer instinctively uncomfortable.

“There really are all kinds of bizarre monsters here.”

“Ah, I recognize this. These are the Four Fiends.”

Unlike other monsters, the Four Fiends were famous enough in folk tales that they were instantly recognizable.

In the mural, the Four Fiends were summoning storms and receiving human sacrifices.

“What a gruesome depiction.”

If these creatures had ever truly existed, it would have had to be in a time before recorded history.

“Oh? The story’s changing.”

As we proceeded further in, the mural began to shift in tone and composition, as if telling a story.

“Someone is descending from the sky to hunt the monsters.”

Just as she said, the heavens opened, and a golden light descended—someone wrapped in radiance, beginning to hunt the beasts.

This golden figure swept away the monstrous horde swarming the earth, and the humans worshipped the being, offering rites in reverence.

As the surviving monsters fled underground, the murals began to depict only humans.

A nation was born.

And the human population began to grow.

The golden figure, watching this, wore a satisfied expression and ascended back into the heavens.

I called out to the group, still engrossed in the mural.

“Hmm, everyone, as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm for murals, we don’t have much time. Let’s keep moving.”

Even now, the Evil Overlords of Heaven and Yin-Yang Fist Demon were probably fighting tooth and nail. Wasting time here wasn’t a wise choice.

But then, someone unexpected objected.

“No, let’s look a little longer.”

“Lady Cheon?”

“Just a moment longer. There’s something I need to confirm.”

I was surprised by the reaction.

Of all people, the Young Cult Leader was showing interest in these cartoon-like murals?

Sa Biyeon shrugged and looked toward Cheon Yura.

“So you were listening back then, even if it didn’t seem like it.”

“……”

‘Back then?’

It meant that Cheon Yura’s current attitude wasn’t just from a spontaneous mood.

The mural’s story continued even further.

Even after the golden figure vanished, the human kingdoms continued to flourish.

As we walked along the wall, the humans’ attire kept changing, likely representing the passage of time.

Then, at some point—

The monsters that had once gone underground reappeared on the surface.

Though humans had advanced civilization and raised armies in the absence of the divine being, they were still no match for the monsters.

The kings engraved into the murals tried to unite and fight back, but were overwhelmed.

Eventually, many nations fell into flames, standing on the brink of destruction.

And in that dire moment—

Two humans descended from the sky where the golden figure had once appeared.

One was the Sun, the other the Moon.

Clearly male and female, these two humans subdued the monsters ravaging the land and drove them back underground.

Then, leading their followers, they built a colossal fortress somewhere deep in a treacherous mountain range.

Sa Biyeon gasped at the sight.

“The Sun and Moon Sect…!”

“What?”

“Are you saying that’s real?”

The Sun and Moon Sect—the predecessor of the Heavenly Demon Cult, said to have originated in the Warring States period thousands of years ago.

“These two must be the founders of the Sun and Moon Sect: Na Gye and Gye Do.”

Na Hu and Gye Do.

Founders of the Sun and Moon Sect, said to have descended from the heavens.

They were now dismissed as mythical figures in the founding legends of a bygone era.

“Then… could this mural really be… historical?”

“We’ll know if we keep watching till the end.”

However, we couldn’t see what came next.

The path was suddenly blocked.

“Another door?”

A solid steel wall now barred our way.

Like before, sword marks were engraved on the surface.

Everyone looked toward Cheon Yura, but she shook her head.

“It’s different from earlier. That’s not the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword.”

“What? No way!”

Many groaned in disappointment, having hoped to breeze through again.

“Still… it’s very similar to the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword. It’s close, but a different sword…”

Before Cheon Yura could sink deeper into thought—

“This time, it’s my turn.”

I stepped forward.

Because the wall before me—

Was engraved with a technique from the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword.

* * *

“Jin Yeomyung?”

Pachik!

I drew out the Jade Green Heavenly Net Divine Sword I’d received from Baek Sang-ah, unleashing a wave of sword qi.

The moment I realized that the sword path carved into the wall was the same as the one inside the main flow of Thousand-Day Pass, I thought it was the perfect chance to show off to Cheon Yura.

“Haaap!”

But perhaps because of the power of the Jade Green Heavenly Sword…

The qi that should have emitted a black hue like the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword instead had a faint tinge of green.

Because of that, I didn’t immediately realize it.

That the sword qi I unleashed had torn through the steel wall.

‘Wait… torn through it?’

For a moment, I was stunned by the unexpected power.

Kwagwagwang!

A mild tremor shook the cave as a result.

“Young Master Jin! Did you have to go that hard!?”

Bang Manhu, who was hit by falling debris, shouted at me.

Compared to how cleanly Cheon Yura had drawn her line earlier, this was… quite the contrast.

Rather than praise me, Cheon Yura scolded me.

“Your control is poor, Jin Yeomyung. You need more practice.”

“Ah, no, I mean…”

I awkwardly furrowed my brow.

Then I glared at the innocent Jade Green Heavenly Sword with gritted teeth.

‘Damn sacred relic!’

The qi amplification was far stronger than I had anticipated.

Fortunately, the steel door hadn’t shattered completely—had it done so, who knows what would’ve happened?

Kugugugung!

Still, the conditions must have been met, as the steel door began to open with a low rumble.

“But it’s strange. How do you know a sword art that matches that door?”

“Ah, well…”

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Unlike the Pavilion Master of the Thousand-Day Pass, she didn’t seem to know the truth about the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, which had branched off from the Heaven-Slaying Demonic Sword.

“Well, I don’t really care. If you don’t want to say, don’t.”

Cheon Yura truly didn’t seem interested in the origin of my sword art.

That reaction suited her martial-art-fanatic nature, but deep down, I’d been hoping she’d ask more. A little disappointing.

“The mural continues again.”

Once the door opened, the previously blocked mural resumed further inside.

“Yes, though from here on, it looks a bit annoying.”

Something with a heavy presence was felt beyond.

“Be careful. That’s not a human presence.”

Maybe opening the door had been the trigger, but we suddenly heard a rumbling noise, like something crawling against the earth.

And not long after, a massive centipede appeared, filling the entire cave wall.

Bang Manhu screamed.

“That, that’s the Iron-Spined Centipede!”

“That’s seriously disgusting!”

Even though the cave ceiling was at least two jang high, the centipede was so massive it filled the whole space.

“Damn it, what’s something from the depths of Yunnan doing all the way here!?”

Bang Manhu shouted to the group.

“Be careful! Its exoskeleton is as hard as steel!”

“Hmm, steel?”

“…Huh?”

He’d shouted to warn us, but the reaction he got was lukewarm.

Even he tilted his head, realizing—

Among this group were several monsters who cut through steel like paper.

“Haaap!”

Baek Sang-ah, who had yet to get a chance to swing her swords, charged forward first.

Her twin blades lit up brightly as she unleashed the Heaven Wolf Meteor Sword Form.

“How reckless. She must know what happens when something that big runs wild in a narrow cave like this.”

Cheon Yura’s tone betrayed the irritation of someone whose chance to act had been stolen.

“Hmph, I know that much!”

Screeeeech!

Sensing Baek Sang-ah’s killing intent, the Iron-Spined Centipede lifted its massive body.

Baek Sang-ah didn’t miss that opening.

She darted straight beneath its belly, kicked off the ground, and drove both her swords into the back of its neck.

SKREEEEE-EEEEECH!

As the Iron-Spined Centipede let out a distorted sonic shriek of pain—

“Haaaap!”

Baek Sang-ah reversed her grip on the blades and unleashed Thousand-Kilogram Fall.

Chwarururuk!

The creature’s underbelly split cleanly in a straight line!

“Hoooh?!”

“Reckless but brilliant!”

Though its bodily fluids weren’t quite lethal poison, they were still highly acidic and dangerous to skin.

But Baek Sang-ah had skillfully sliced open its gut and withdrew before any fluid touched her.

Kk-Kkrrk! Kkkgrrk!

The Iron-Spined Centipede, its nerves numbed, hesitated for a moment—

Secret Technique: Twin Star Cross Slash!

Realizing the centipede’s neck was its soft spot, Baek Sang-ah swung her blades in an X.

That one strike sliced through the creature’s head—killing it instantly.

“Heh! That was nothing!”

“Ooooh!”

The martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Cult cheered at Baek Sang-ah’s clean kill.

Not only did she not cower against a creature of monstrous grade that would frighten even seasoned experts, she ended it in barely three seconds.

Baek Sang-ah shrugged and walked up to me.

“How about that, Young Master Jin? You’re not going to say I’m useless anymore, are you?”

Hmm, I never said that, but… anyway.

“Excellent work, Lady Baek.”

I clapped and praised her.

Though, well…

‘She’s acting very much like someone from the Cult now.’

Normally, when facing a difficult opponent—if not a beast—orthodox sects tended to group up and take a defensive stance.

The Heavenly Demon Cult, however, was filled with battle-hungry types, so many charged ahead to show off their martial power.

‘So this is what half a year of Thousand-Day Pass life does to someone?’

As I stared at Baek Sang-ah with a conflicted expression—

“Hmph, still, she’s fairly capable.”

Cheon Yura, seemingly impressed by her skills, didn’t hesitate to offer praise despite her usual cold demeanor.

But then—

“How about joining our Cult? You’d make an excellent demonic martial artist.”

“Are you insane?!”

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