Deep within the dark mountains of Liaoning Province lies a secluded stone cave.
Now known for its treacherous terrain and sinister rumors, even herbalists avoid this area—it's called the Yeobing Cave.
The interior of Yeobing Cave is like a maze; a single misstep could mean getting hopelessly lost.
Landing lightly in front of Yeobing Cave, I touched down.
-Tap!
As I reached out, the Namcheon Steel Sword was drawn to me.
> "Unhwi, judging from how much breath I see coming from your mouth, this place must be pretty cold."
You're right.
In this region of Liaoning, people wear fur clothing for nearly half the year because of the cold.
> "Is this the place?"
If what I heard is accurate, then this has to be it.
I had initially planned to use teleportation (Chukjibeop) to get here, but I encountered an unexpected issue.
Chukjibeop requires an exact memory of the destination—without it, movement isn't possible.
> "Quite a limitation."
Indeed.
There are several other restrictions, too.
Since I hadn't fully mastered Taoist or Demonic energy, my maximum movement range was shorter than expected.
I could cover 200 li (approx. 100 km) in one leap, but doing that several times consecutively consumed a great deal of internal energy and innate qi.
Recovery was necessary before I could use Chukjibeop again.
> "Nothing is ever truly perfect."
Maybe not.
But with proper training, the limitations could probably be extended.
Either way, I've arrived at the right place—time to head in.
-Step, step!
As I entered the cave, the air became even more frigid.
Thanks to my internal energy, I was fine despite my light clothing, but an ordinary person would need to wear several layers.
Soon after, multiple forked paths appeared.
> "These are enchanted."
Each of the six paths was protected by magic.
Of course—it was her, setting traps to guard her original body.
> "Why not just summon Mujungyu?"
Sodam Sword was referring to Cheol Eum-yu, the eldest brother of Jo Eum-sama.
He once served as an adopted son to Cheol Suryeon—also known as Evil-Hearted Granny—but after discovering she'd annihilated his family, he chose to follow me instead.
> "No need."
The cave's enchantments would've already alerted her to my intrusion.
She'd come out soon enough.
-Snap!
With a snap of my fingers, I dispelled the spells at the cave entrance.
There were all sorts of traps—ones that confused, immobilized, or deceived intruders.
Once someone entered, escaping would be nearly impossible.
> "Not for me, though."
Since I had absorbed Cheol Suryeon's abilities, I could use most of the sorcery she had developed.
Dispelling them was easy.
Taking the second path on the right, the tunnel gradually led downward.
At every few meters, more forked paths and magic traps appeared.
Naturally, I dispelled them all.
Until—
-Fffft!
Dozens of spears suddenly shot down from the cave ceiling.
They stopped mid-air before reaching me.
A light wave of my hand snapped them all, sending them clattering aside.
> "So there are mechanical traps, too."
Of course.
This is Cheol Suryeon's most important place.
It houses the Ultimate Ice Coffin containing her real body.
She wouldn't leave it unguarded.
> "Still, she's taking a while."
True.
I had come in quite far, yet there was no reaction.
Is she overconfident in her traps?
It's a hassle, but I'll just keep dispelling and pushing forward.
I passed through about twenty magical and mechanical traps.
The deeper I went, the colder it got—the cave walls were coated with ice.
> "Presence."
I sensed many entities inside.
But none gave off the aura of the living.
They were likely banshi—half-corpses, once humans, now turned into zombies.
Cheol Suryeon had controlled hundreds of banshi under her command.
But now, they listened to me.
> "Time to wear the mask."
I pulled out a demon mask from my pouch and put it on.
After all, Mujungyu thinks I'm the Blood Demon.
> "Namcheon, you go in for now."
> "Understood."
I stored the Namcheon Steel Sword and moved on.
Upon entering a cold breeze-blowing chamber, a man-made open hall appeared, several meters long.
As expected, hundreds of banshi with their eyes and mouths sewn shut were gathered inside.
Disgusting, even after seeing them multiple times.
> "Isn't that him?"
> "Ah…"
Just as Sodam Sword said, past the banshi, standing at the entrance of another cave was Mujungyu.
But he held a metal cane with a bell.
Though aged, his martial arts kept him spry—he never needed a cane before.
> "What's with that look?"
As Sodam Sword pointed out, Mujungyu was glaring at me like I was his mortal enemy.
Strange.
I called out to him.
> "Mujungyu."
Then, Mujungyu finally spoke.
> "You came on your own, Blood Demon!"
> "!?"
I scowled, staring at him.
Mujungyu wasn't someone who would address me with such hostility.
His murderous intent was unmistakable.
Then I asked, glaring at him:
> "...How did you take over Mujungyu's body?"
> "Huh?! What's he saying?"
He looked like Mujungyu, but his voice and tone resembled Cheol Suryeon.
His aura confirmed it.
Then he sneered.
> "Did you think I couldn't undo my own binding spell?"
> "Ah…"
So that's what happened.
I had bound the body she took with a spell—like the banshi, it could only obey my commands.
But it seems she broke the seal on her own.
> "Should've known."
Even though I'd taken her powers, she was still the top sorcerer in the Central Plains.
> "Doesn't change anything."
What, does she think she can rely on those banshi?
They answer to me now.
Then, Cheol Suryeon, now in Mujungyu's body, slammed her cane to the ground.
-Thud! Jingle jingle!
The bell rang, and the banshi drew their weapons.
Unexpected.
They shouldn't be able to follow her commands.
Seeing my confusion, Cheol Suryeon smirked arrogantly.
> "You think I didn't plan for this? Keh keh keh!"
Laughing in that body only made things creepier.
I'd underestimated her.
After breaking the seal, her first move must've been to regain control of the banshi.
Seven months was more than enough time.
She gave the command:
> "Kill him."
-Swoooosh!
The banshi charged.
Hundreds of them rushing at me was spine-chilling.
Seeing a horde of sewn-mouth corpses swarming wasn't awe-inspiring—it was revolting.
I snapped my fingers.
-Snap!
Suddenly, they froze mid-charge.
> "!?"
Cheol Suryeon looked shocked.
> "How did you…?"
> "I had a hunch."
> "What?"
> "You modified the seal, but you used the old spell as a base."
At my words, her brow furrowed.
So I was right.
Even for her, rewriting a whole new enchantment from scratch in seven months would be impossible.
> "Kill that woman."
At my command, the banshi turned to her.
They were about to carry it out.
But she banged her cane again.
-Jingle!
> "You idiots! Kill him!"
The banshi trembled, then turned back to me.
Seems both our commands are equal—the spell's authority wasn't overridden.
I snapped my fingers again.
-Snap!
> "Kill her!"
They turned toward her again.
-Jingle!
> "I said, kill him! You fools!"
They swarmed toward me.
-Snap!
> "Not me—her!"
The banshi reversed direction again.
Furious, Cheol Suryeon rang her bell violently.
I matched her with another finger snap.
> "Kill her!"
> "Kill him!"
As our commands clashed, the banshi trembled and eventually froze where they stood, unmoving.
> "What are you doing?!"
She rang her bell repeatedly, but it was no use.
Like overloaded machines, the banshi stopped responding.
> "Not listening to you, huh?"
I said smugly.
Cheol Suryeon bit her lip in frustration.
> "What... are you?!"
At that moment, I used Chukjibeop.
-Wooooong!
In an instant, I appeared behind her.
Startled, she whipped around in shock.
> "How did you—?!"
The reaction was different from what I expected.
I thought she would recognize it the moment she saw the teleportation technique since it was related to the Thunder Master.
But she was acting like it was something she had never seen before.
It must be one of two things.
Either the Thunder Master never showed her the teleportation technique, or she lost a lot of her memories when she lost her soul, and this was one of them.
"First, I'll have to subdue her."
I reached out toward her and activated one of the Geumnasu techniques.
At that moment, Cheol Suryeon made a strange expression.
Then, like a puppet whose strings were cut, she suddenly collapsed to the floor.
What trick is this?
"What are you doing?"
I grabbed the fallen Cheol Suryeon and shook her.
But she didn't regain consciousness.
I checked her pulse—it was normal, but I couldn't figure out what was going on.
And then it happened.
—Whooooosh!
Something eerie surged out from her.
'This is…?'
It resembled the same phenomenon from before—when she left the old woman's body and entered the child's.
The eerie energy that burst forth tried to shoot off through the cave.
I attempted to catch it.
—Srrrk!
But it wasn't physical, and it was completely different from the concept of Qi, so I couldn't grab it.
Just what is she scheming?
I followed the eerie energy, flying swiftly through the air.
As I moved through the cave, a large open chamber—not as big as the one before, but still sizable—came into view.
'Ah…!'
As I entered, I couldn't help but be shocked.
Just like back at Bongnim Valley, the entire chamber was covered with glowing orbs embedded in the walls, illuminating the room with a bluish light.
—Shooooo!
The eerie energy darted toward the far end of the glowing chamber.
That area, where the cold was densest, wasn't lit with glowing orbs—but with dozens of torches.
There was a stone pool, carved out like a bathtub.
Judging from how the torchlight reflected off it, it seemed to be filled with water.
'Could it be that…?'
I had a guess.
If I were her, there would be only one method left as a last resort.
—What is it?
To return to her original body in the Extreme Ice Coffin.
No matter how many bodies she possessed, they couldn't compare to her true body.
I walked toward the place the eerie energy had gone.
And then it happened.
—Whooooosh!
The water, which had been gently rippling under the torchlight, surged up like a reverse waterfall.
Amid the gushing water, a slender silhouette could be seen.
—PAPAPAPAPANG!
As I looked at the figure, the water droplets shot toward me like hidden weapons.
It was a type of Tanjeegong technique.
I reached out toward the incoming droplets.
The air rippled like waves, and the droplets bounced back in the opposite direction.
—PAPAPAPAPAPANG!
It was the I-Gi-Jin-Hyeong technique.
The repelled water droplets were reabsorbed into the reverse flow of water.
As the water subsided, a woman with long, dark blue hair hanging down appeared—completely naked.
'Ah…'
A gasp escaped me.
I had assumed that, being the true form of the old monster, she would look aged or at least resemble that prior appearance.
But instead, a beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid-20s with a flawless figure stood there.
—She's pretty by human standards, right?
Yeah, no doubt.
Sharp eyebrows, round eyes, and slightly upturned corners—they gave her a feline look.
Now I understood why the emperor had been enchanted by her, even if just for a short time.
With a cold expression, the revived Cheol Suryeon spoke.
"Now that I've returned to my true body, prepare yourself."
—GOOOOOH!
As her aura exploded, water droplets were flung in all directions by the force.
She was stronger than when I first met her in the old monster form.
So this is the true power of her original body.
I slightly turned my gaze and said,
"Before that… maybe cover yourself first."
It was hard to look straight at her, since she was naked.
Her ample chest kept bouncing, unintentionally drawing my eyes.
—Dang. With that size, she could compete with Hwang Hyeju of the Hwangyeong Escort Agency.
What kind of competition are you imagining?
Stop it. You're making me stare.
At that moment—
—POP!
Cheol Suryeon suddenly appeared before me.
Perhaps feeling confident in her original body, she launched a series of deadly strikes aimed at my pressure points.
I stood still with my head turned aside, using only my left hand to block each attack lightly.
—TATATATATATAK!
As I easily neutralized every move, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Y-You've become stronger than before?!"
Back then, I had just barely surpassed a wall in my martial arts.
Even then, I had help from Master Sama Chak of Wolak Sword, and her power had weakened after losing her soul.
So she had naturally assumed she could defeat me easily.
"Hmph! Even so, that changes nothing."
She tried to attack again with a stronger technique.
—PAPAPAPAPAPAK!
But what was more distracting than her technique was something else that kept bouncing.
Even when I turned my head, I couldn't ignore it.
"Can't be helped then."
"What?"
—PAK!
I suddenly grabbed her wrist mid-strike.
She tried to break free using her internal energy—
"Wh-What!?"
—but it was impossible.
Even if she had her original body, I was on a completely different level now.
I struck her head with my palm.
She quickly blocked with her other arm, but still fell hard to the ground.
—BOOM! KWAANG!
"Aaagh!"
Though I adjusted my power somewhat, I wanted to end it in one blow—causing the cave floor to collapse inward.
—RUMBLE!
The chamber trembled violently.
Debris rained down from the ceiling.
—Watch your strength. This place could collapse.
I had forgotten this was an underground cave.
Still, the blow was effective. Cheol Suryeon lay sprawled on the floor, disoriented.
Blood flowed from her eyes, nose, and mouth—her head must've taken a serious hit.
Had I been less restrained, she might've died.
Looking up at me in disbelief, she said,
"Wh-What are you? How could you… in just a few months…"
She seemed shocked at the power that couldn't even be compared to last time.
She was one of the infamous Five Great Villains who had lived for over two hundred years, and I had brought her down in a single strike.
It was understandable.
"That's none of your concern. From now on, you'll answer my questions."
At my words, she bit her lip tightly.
Though defeated easily, she didn't seem willing to speak.
Ignoring that, I asked her:
"You implanted Ja-Gyeongjeong's soul into the Terror Sword at the Thunder Master's request, didn't you?"
"What?"
She frowned.
It wasn't an act—she genuinely didn't seem to understand.
As before, it seemed she had lost a huge chunk of memory after losing her soul.
"Are you pretending?"
She raised her voice.
"Even if the Thunder Master helped me in many ways, why would I… with such a cursed sword…"
She trailed off and fell silent again.
She hated even speaking to me.
She bit her lip and turned her head away.
'She's pretty stubborn.'
—Are you going to torture her?
That's an option, but her memories seem too unstable.
I need to restore them to get what I want.
—Then what?
'Hmm…'
I stared at the Heavenly Authority point among the Big Dipper dots on the back of my hand.
—Wait… you're not seriously…?
It seems I'll have to return her soul.
Sodam Sword asked with doubt,
—Is that even possible?
Yes. I was now better trained in Seven Star Heavenly Gate, thanks to Master Sword Immortal.
Heavenly Authority allows me to imprison or release souls or minds using myself as a medium.
Cheol Suryeon was the first to have her living soul absorbed—and I needed to return it to restore her memory.
—Will she be okay?
Doesn't matter.
The energy from her soul had already been absorbed.
Returning it wouldn't harm me.
But… she had been trapped with other grudging souls in Heavenly Authority. She may have been affected.
—Negatively, I assume.
She may now be filled with resentment. Accepting her soul might drive her mad.
Still, I had to restore her memory, so—
—TAP!
I grabbed her head.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Surprised, she tried to pull my hand off.
But her internal injuries were too severe. She couldn't resist.
"I'll give it back—your soul."
"What?"
The Heavenly Authority mark glowed blue.
'Return.'
I summoned her soul from within.
A mist-like energy flowed from the Heavenly Authority into her head.
"Ugh!"
She convulsed like she had been struck with a hammer.
"Krrraaaaah!"
Even her eyes rolled back—it was worse than expected.
—Isn't she going to die?!
I didn't think the reaction would be this bad.
I prepared to retrieve the soul again.
But then—
—GRAB!
Cheol Suryeon gripped my hands tightly as I held her head.
It wasn't to push me away.
It was like a drowning person desperately grabbing a lifeline.
"Please! Don't send me back there!"
…What?
I was about to ask what she meant, but I froze.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she trembled in fear.
Had she just recovered all the memories from her time trapped in the Heavenly Authority?
As I stood stunned, she pleaded to me,
"I'll… I'll be your slave or whatever you want. Just don't send me back to that place… with those devilish things…"
'!?'
I looked at the glowing Heavenly Authority mark.
…Just what happened in there?