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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Underground Tomb
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Martial God (15)
Underground Tomb
Meanwhile.
Black Wind, who had been the first to leap into the Sasa Whirlpool, stood in an unfamiliar place. It was a square stone chamber about half a zhang in width, length, and height.
In his hand was the demon hook he had thrown into the Sasa Whirlpool. He had swung his hand as he was pushed along by it, and luckily, the hook had caught.
"Where...?"
Black Wind looked around the interior.
The stone chamber was empty. What filled it was an ominous aura and thick darkness.
"Did I jump in alone?"
Black Wind turned his gaze to the spot where he had fallen moments ago. There was a round hole in the ceiling, with sand sweeping over it. It seemed there was some special mechanism preventing the sand from falling inside.
"It might be a trap."
Black Wind lowered his gaze.
"For now..."
Just as he was about to take a step, a black object fell from above.
"Ugh!"
Black Wind thrust out both arms. It was an instinctive move to block whatever was coming down on him.
"Ow!"
A low cry escaped from the thing that had landed on Black Wind, sounding like it was human.
Thud!
Black Wind grabbed something with both hands and fell on his butt. At the same time, something wet covered his lips. He immediately realized it was the other person's lips.
'Huh?'
As if their acupuncture points had been sealed, both froze. They stared at each other with their lips pressed together.
'Palace Lord?'
The person sitting on top of him was Nang Ha-sang, the Palace Lord of the Ice Palace.
'You?'
Nang Ha-sang was just as shocked.
She had been swept along face-down by the sand and suddenly dropped down. Having closed her eyes and entrusted herself to the Sasa Whirlpool, she had no idea where she had landed, let alone that the person she had crashed into would be Black Wind.
Nang Ha-sang quickly lifted her face.
"H-Hey, are you alone?"
Nang Ha-sang asked with a flustered expression.
"Yeah, just me. But..."
"Your comrades all jumped in too. The Red Witch Tali and her subordinates, and me along with the Ice Palace disciples."
Hearing that he was alone, Nang Ha-sang regained her composure.
"Nearly fifty people jumped in, and only you ended up here?"
"Looks that way. But how long are you going to keep lounging on me?"
"Lounging? What... oh..."
Black Wind gave an awkward laugh. Until then, he had been gripping Nang Ha-sang's breasts. And quite firmly at that. He quickly let go.
"No wonder a mother I never even saw once came to mind."
"That doesn't sound like you're saying it wasn't on purpose. Right?"
"It's similar to you sitting on me with your butt."
Nang Ha-sang looked down.
She was no different from Black Wind. She was sitting astride his lower body.
"Eek!"
Nang Ha-sang jumped up in surprise.
She had felt something unusual from below but ignored it. But that was...
Nang Ha-sang's face flushed red.
"Let's call it even."
Black Wind stood up and headed to the left. There was a door leading out in the direction he went. Nang Ha-sang stared at his back for a moment before following.
Standing before the stone door, Black Wind pushed with all his might.
Rumble!
The stone door slowly opened.
Beyond the stone door was a passage about three chi wide. Unlike the pitch-black darkness of the stone chamber, luminous pearls were embedded in the passage ceiling. But it wasn't very bright. Just enough light to make out the shapes of things.
"Perfect atmosphere for ghosts to pop out."
Black Wind muttered softly.
Grab!
Nang Ha-sang grabbed Black Wind's arm.
"..."
Black Wind looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"What I fear most in the world is ghosts."
"The Palace Lord of the Ice Palace—how's your skill level?"
"What kind of skill are you talking about?"
"Compared to the Desert Ten Heroes. They said the Red Witch Tali is one of the Eight Heroes."
"You don't know about the Desert Ten Heroes?"
"Not interested."
"I'm one of the Five Heroes."
"Fifth in rank?"
"That's the ranking others gave."
"But it sounds like you don't accept that ranking."
"If you grab any of the Desert Ten Heroes and ask, they'd all say the same."
"They all think they're the strongest?"
"Don't you think you're the best?"
"Well, I don't think 'I'm worthless' either."
Black Wind nodded.
He lived with the thought that 'I'm not the best, but at least above average.' In truth, without even that, he'd lose the will to live.
Plus, he occasionally harbored the hope that he might become the best someday.
"No matter how strong you are, there's always something scary."
"For you, it's ghosts?"
"Yeah."
"For me, living people are the scariest."
"Living people scare you?"
"Yeah. If I had to choose between sleeping with a living person or a corpse, I'd pick the corpse."
"Corpses can't harm you?"
"Nope?"
"That's true, but..."
Nang Ha-sang trailed off. Even so, she couldn't imagine sleeping with a corpse.
"Let's go."
The two started walking.
"By the way, what's the Solar God Temple?"
"You came in without even knowing what the Solar God Temple is?"
"The old man who gave me the Solar Plaque just said it was the key to entering the Solar God Temple."
"So the Solar Plaque was originally yours?"
Nang Ha-sang asked in surprise.
"Yeah."
Black Wind nodded.
"Why'd you hand it over?"
"Tali came to kill me."
"Why would she... oh! The Wind Corps."
Nang Ha-sang nodded.
"You're sure that Ju Jang-cheol bastard handed us over to the Blood Wolf Clan?"
"You didn't know?"
"How would I?"
"From what I heard, they agreed to hand over twenty myriad shi of rice, two thousand horses, and the Wind Corps to end the war."
"Damn! Didn't even get our pay..."
"Why not?"
"They wouldn't give it."
"Why not?"
"Said they'd pay us all at once when we got out."
"You believed that?"
"If you don't trust the Empire's Supreme Commander, whose word do you trust? And he said whining for pay would get you fired on the spot."
"Tsk!"
Nang Ha-sang clicked her tongue.
"Anyway, I came out of hiding, and there was the Red Witch Tali with her subordinates."
"So you traded it for your life."
"Truth is, I didn't need the thing anyway."
"Everything of the Solar Heaven is sealed there, and you say you don't need it?"
"It's just one of five. Without the other four, it's useless. Saved eleven lives with that one piece—profitable deal."
"You're right."
Nang Ha-sang nodded.
"Now tell me about the Solar God Temple."
"The Solar God Temple was a temple where an ancient power called Solar Heaven held their rites."
"Must've been incredibly strong."
"One of the Peerless Six Heavens, so yeah. They were the first to unify the Border Wastelands too."
"What's the Peerless Six Heavens?"
"You really know nothing?"
"I've been on the battlefield since I was three. No time to care about that stuff."
"Earning money since three?"
"Yeah."
"Does that even make sense?"
"Splint a broken arm, wear rags showing your ribs, lay out a mat in a busy spot with a broken bowl in front—makes two taels a day."
"..."
"If it's cold and you're sniffling, income goes up."
"No parents?"
"The guy who dumped me in the market was my dad."
"..."
"The Peerless Six Heavens."
"Yeah! Oh! The Peerless Six Heavens are Solar Heaven, Phoenix Heaven, Purple Mansion Heaven, Nine Dragons Heaven, Hidden Heaven, and Myriad Tribulations Heaven. Legend says those six powers ruled the ancient Central Plains and Border Wastelands."
"Solar Heaven ruled the Border Wastelands then?"
"Not sure. Could've been their base from the start, or they got pushed out fighting each other and ended up here."
"Either way, they settled in the Border Wastelands."
"Yeah."
"Then the Last Sovereign of Solar Heaven..."
"Was the final Heavenly Lord of Solar Heaven. After him, Solar Heaven vanished, leaving only the Solar God Temple. Legend has it that everything of Solar Heaven is inside."
"What are you here for, Palace Lord?"
"To find the Ice Emotion Thunder Axe."
"Ice Palace treasure?"
"It was the supreme divine relic taken by Great Radiant Martial."
"Taken?"
"More like offered up."
"Offered in gratitude for sparing your lives, huh."
"Well..."
"Similar to me."
"What?"
"I offered the Solar Plaque to save my life too."
"Pfft!"
Nang Ha-sang chuckled.
"So other sects offered their divine relics too?"
"Yeah."
"That's why everyone's here."
"Pretty much."
"By the way. Any treasures like that?"
"What kind?"
"Gold, silver, jewels—the usual."
"Looking to strike it rich?"
"We're already in. Might as well grab some if we can."
"You might find some if you look. But be careful."
"You mean Yagul Ma-ha?"
"Yagul Ma-ha, and Yagul Jeok-son too."
"Yagul Jeok-son must dote on his son that much, huh? Can't tolerate the humiliation."
"He's poured everything into raising him to be the next Supreme Heavenly Lord of the Eightfold Heaven Storm. For a martial-ignorant punk to insult him? He's probably more furious than if it happened to himself."
"Better avoid facing them one-on-one."
"Yeah."
Just then, a stone door appeared before the two.
[Eternal Slumber Grounds
Living Forbidden to Enter]
Words were engraved on the stone door.
"Looks like a tomb."
Nang Ha-sang said.
"Wanna go in?"
Black Wind asked.
"I don't want to."
"Scared of ghosts?"
"..."
"No other way forward."
"Sigh! Let's go in."
This time, Nang Ha-sang pushed the stone door. It soon opened. Inside was a vast plaza. Filled with dim light, the plaza stretched endlessly, just like the Sasa Whirlpool arrival point.
Filling the space were large and small grave mounds. Some towering mounds were three zhang high.
"Tombs are my specialty."
Black Wind muttered softly.
"Specialty?"
"Worked in a public graveyard."
"Doing what..."
"What's that?"
Black Wind pointed at the floor. A faint glow was spreading in all directions.
"Starting from our feet?"
"Our feet?"
Black Wind looked down at his feet.
Nang Ha-sang was right. The glow originated from their feet. It spread over each mound, permeating every corner of the Eternal Slumber Grounds.
"What is it?"
"Vital energy."
Nang Ha-sang said with an uneasy face.
"Vital energy?"
"The life force that only emanates from the living."
"Why's it spreading?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe something's coming out of the tombs?"
Boom!
No sooner had Black Wind spoken than something burst out from the center of a mound.
"Mommy!"
Nang Ha-sang clutched Black Wind's arm and clung tightly to him.