Chapter 130

I blinked.
The Patriarch of the Illusory Hwang Clan had personally passed through the No-Return Cave?

“When?”
“It was long ago. When I was young.”

Hwang Si-mong turned his gaze into the distance as if recalling the past.

“By then, it was already difficult to find entrants. Only a few moths who did not know the value of their lives rushed in to obtain rewards and honor.”
“Were you like that too, Patriarch?”
“Something similar.”

He seemed unwilling to speak in detail.
My time was precious too, so I moved on to the important part.

“Do you remember the internal structure?”
“Of course. I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”

Hwang Si-mong raised a finger and drew something in the air.
Strange patterns glowing faintly appeared one after another.
The patterns soon changed into a three-dimensional map.
It could freely change not only height and depth, but even angle.
It must have been implemented through illusion art, but I noticed something unusual.

“Why are there three maps?”

One detailed map had drawings of swords, hidden weapons, and the like marked here and there, while two maps only had the outline of their borders without any details.
Hwang Si-mong answered as if it were nothing.

“Because the No-Return Cave is divided into three routes.”
“Three routes? Not zones?”

I asked back in puzzlement.
Hwang Si-mong answered calmly.

“It is not widely known, but inside the No-Return Cave, there are three branching routes. There is one entrance, but one passes through one of these three and comes out through the exit where they meet at the end.”

I frowned.
This was the first I had heard of it.
Certainly, I didn’t know what the inside of the No-Return Cave was like.
However, the Heavenly Demon had said there were three zones.
He had said that if I learned Death-Line Step to the third stage, I could pass through the first zone, and if I learned Lightning Step to the third stage as well, I could pass through the third zone.
Then what did it mean that the routes were divided?

There were three routes, and there were also three zones.
Was one of the two mistaken?

‘Or are there three zones in each route?’

I immediately asked Hwang Si-mong this, but he shook his head.
He said that the types of traps changed depending on depth, but that could not be defined as a number of zones.
Honestly, it didn’t matter to me which one was true. I was confident I could break through.
The problem was Yuk Ja-heung.

‘If there are three routes, how am I supposed to know which route has the safe zone where I can shove Yuk Ja-heung?’

Was I making a serious expression without realizing it?
Hwang Si-mong added.

“There is no need to worry so much. Look at this.”

When he gestured, the shape of the map changed.
The clear map changed until only its outline remained, like the other two maps.

“This is the recent state of the route I entered. The basic frame is the same, but the interior has changed greatly. I was also able to perceive this because the positions of the resonating illusory formation arrays have changed.”
“Then doesn’t that mean your experience is not helpful, Patriarch?”
“Half correct, and half wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“The structure changes, but the essence does not.”

Hwang Si-mong slowly continued.

“The traps of the No-Return Cave all operate on the same principle. Detect the intruder and kill them. Even if the form changes, the core remains the same. Engrave the structure into your mind, but do not be deceived by what your eyes see. Trust the chilling sensation that touches your skin and move forward. That is the only method of breaking through.”

I nodded.
In truth, this was the orthodox answer for surviving in a space filled with killing intent and death.
The Death-Line Step the Heavenly Demon taught me was, in the end, reading the trajectory of killing intent and breaking through the gaps between it.

“That is why our family can provide help to Seventh Young Lord.”
“How?”
“Through my experience and the resonance of the illusory formation arrays, I can recreate an environment similar to the current one. Many things will differ, but I can implement the density and direction of the killing intent similarly.”
“Then, perhaps…….”

The corners of Hwang Si-mong’s mouth rose faintly.

“That is right. I have implemented it in advance. So that if the Seventh Young Lord wishes, you can experience it immediately. It will be better than entering without any preparation.”
“……!”

I was a little surprised.
I could understand him predicting that I would come. He had enough motive to do so.
But I never imagined he would be this prepared.

“What were you going to do if I didn’t come? This must have consumed no small amount of resources.”
“If that had happened, I would have thought it was not meant to be.”

As if.
He would have sent someone to ask me to come.

“However, because it was made hastily, its degree of completion is low. Only the entry section has been completed, and you may think of its danger level as around thirty percent of the real thing.”
“That sounds perfect for a first experience.”
“I trust that you will not let your guard down. Though this is an inferior recreation of the original, even for Seventh Young Lord, a single moment of carelessness will lead to a fatal failure.”
“A fatal failure?”

I chuckled.
I had already entered the basics of Death-Line Step.
According to the Heavenly Demon, passing through the first zone would not be a problem.
Although I was not certain exactly what ‘zone’ meant, whatever it was, I would not struggle against an inferior recreation of one of the three routes.

“You will probably be greatly surprised this time too, like before.”

Hwang Si-mong smiled and nodded.

“I look forward to it.”

When he waved his hand, the surrounding scenery distorted.
At that moment, Hwang Si-mong’s voice echoed throughout the entire space.

• I hope you obtain a satisfactory result.

When my distorted vision returned, I was standing inside a stone corridor.
The first thing I felt was the cold and damp air.
The moment I breathed, I had the illusion that a handful of mold was entering my lungs.

The second thing I felt was wonder.
Floor, walls, ceiling.
Every surface was fitted together with straight stone slabs as if measured by a ruler, making it feel as if I were inside an enormous stone coffin.

‘So this is what the inside of the No-Return Cave looks like.’

I suddenly became curious.
Was the safe zone also implemented?
Had such a thing existed even when Hwang Si-mong entered the No-Return Cave?

‘……Let’s ask after this is over.’

I looked ahead.
In the silent space that seemed to stretch endlessly, an ominous energy lurked.
Probably, if I took only a few steps, terrifying traps would activate.
Thinking about what they might be, I moved forward.

Hwang Si-mong watched Baek Su-gyeong with his eyes closed.

‘I wonder what kind of sight he will show me.’

The No-Return Cave was the grave of its entrants.
Even among the group that entered with him, he was the only survivor. The rest had all come out as corpses, or their bodies were never found at all.

‘The start is good.’

Currently, Seventh Young Lord was standing at the entrance of the stone corridor and looking around.
It seemed he was carefully searching for the locations of the traps.
It was the correct direction.
The first gate of the inferior recreation was pressure-sensing.
The moment one stepped down, hidden weapons would fly in from all directions, and short spears would pour down from the ceiling like rain.

‘No matter how extraordinary he is, he must be cautious. He could be swallowed in the blink of an eye.’

A depth of thought that could not be judged by age, martial prowess, and even caution.
Hwang Si-mong thought that the Seventh Young Lord lacked none of them.
But it was at that moment.

‘Hmm?’

Hwang Si-mong frowned.
Because he suddenly walked forward without any preparatory movement.

‘Too hasty.’

The trap activated.
Hidden weapons covered him, and it felt as if the Seventh Young Lord’s figure had disappeared.

‘……It is over.’

The heart that had held great expectations until just now cooled coldly.
However, a startling sight soon unfolded.

The Seventh Young Lord moved naturally without stopping his steps.
As if he were a person trying to end his own life, he walked directly into the sea of hidden weapons.
That was all, yet not one of them became a threat to the Seventh Young Lord.
The hidden weapons flew past the places where he was, and the short spears became not a downpour, but a misty drizzle, unable to even wet Seventh Young Lord’s collar.
Only the sound of metal filled the corridor.

“……!”

Hwang Si-mong’s beard trembled.
No matter how degraded the recreation was, he had not expected him to advance that unhesitatingly.
He had expected a sight where he hesitated and suffered injuries, but managed it in the end.
But what in the world was that movement?
He wasn’t dodging. Rather, he threw himself onto the trajectory where death was rushing in, yet came out without a single wound.
This sight was almost like.

‘……Heavenly Demon?’

The incarnation of martial arts most perfectly reproduced in the form of a human.
From the Seventh Young Lord came the scent of that Heavenly Demon.
Without realizing it, Hwang Si-mong nodded firmly.

‘I chose the right person.’

Joining hands with the Seventh Young Lord.
That would become the greatest of the countless choices he had made in his life.

“Whoo.”

I passed through all the prepared trials.
With a dazed expression, I looked back at the path I had passed.
It was truly a scene where death had clawed through in full force.
I let out a low exclamation.

‘As expected, the Heavenly Demon was accurate.’

If I had not learned Death-Line Step, I would have struggled tremendously.
My body would not have had a single unharmed place either.
To think Death-Line Step was already this much when it was only at the first stage.
How much more incredible would it become once I reached the third stage?
And what about the realms beyond that?
Once again, a thrill ran through me.

Saaaa.
My vision blurred, and the scenery of the place where I stood changed.
The stone corridor disappeared, and the Patriarch Hall where the Milky Way flowed appeared.
When I turned my head, I saw Hwang Si-mong.
His mouth was half open.
His usual relaxed smile was nowhere to be seen, and his face was filled only with disbelief.
I smiled and said.

“I told you you’d be greatly surprised again, like before.”

Hwang Si-mong’s mouth, which had opened and closed several times, finally opened completely.

“Seventh Young Lord, what in the world is that footwork technique?”
“Death-Line Step.”
“Death-Line Step…… A step that crosses in and out of death. Heoheo. The Heavenly Demon taught it to you, then.”
“How did you know?”

I thought praise for the footwork technique would come out.
But what came from Hwang Si-mong’s mouth was not that.

“It is presumptuous to say, but the Heavenly Demon lacks a sense for naming.”
“Really? Master?”

I immediately asked back.
I couldn’t believe it.
Death-Line Step, Lightning Step, Reverse Step, Gapless Step, and so on.
They were names that contained their functions exactly as they were, but that made them all the more intuitive.
However, at Hwang Si-mong’s following words, I let out a sigh before I knew it.

“Once, the Heavenly Demon created a fist art that struck three times in succession. Do you know what its name was?”
“Chain-Breaking Extreme Fist?”
“Hit Hit Hit.”
“……!”
“What was the name of the palm art that destroyed an enemy’s internal organs?”
“Hmm, Great Shift Heaven-Destroying Palm?”
“Five Palms, Six Ruined.”
“…….”

Not the five viscera and six bowels, but Five Palms, Six Ruined, meaning if he threw five palm strikes, six bastards would not be left intact?

“There were more than one or two examples like this. Though after creating most of them, he didn’t even bother looking at them again.”

This was a story I had never known.
To think the Heavenly Demon had this side to him.
What was this feeling that was absurd yet fascinating?

Hwang Si-mong burst into hearty laughter as he joked.

“Ho ho, please do not tell him this old man spoke ill of him. In any case, it seems the Heavenly Demon has very great expectations for Seventh Young Lord.”
“I wonder.”

I didn’t answer hastily one way or the other.
The Heavenly Demon clearly had some purpose, and because of that, he seemed to have expectations for me, but I didn’t know what that purpose was.

“With that footwork technique, Seventh Young Lord will undoubtedly be able to pass through the No-Return Cave. However, you must not be careless. What comes after what you experienced will be far more difficult.”
“I know. Oh, there is something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Is there perhaps a place inside the No-Return Cave where the traps do not activate?”

Hwang Si-mong raised his eyebrow.

“Why do you ask that?”
“Because of Fifth Senior Brother.”

I briefly explained Yuk Ja-heung’s circumstances.
Hwang Si-mong and I had already been in the same boat for a while.
He was sponsoring me every month, had willingly mobilized warriors for me, and had even recreated the inside of the No-Return Cave.
It was fine to tell him this much.

After hearing the entire explanation, Hwang Si-mong stroked his chin.

“So, you intend to hide Fifth Young Lord in the safe zone?”
“Yes.”
“Seventh Young Lord is drawing a grand picture beyond the reach of my eyes.”
“What picture?”
“If you save his life, it will become a debt of gratitude that a lifetime would not be enough to repay. Fifth Young Lord would be no different from becoming Seventh Young Lord’s man.”
“I don’t particularly want to have him.”
“The Violet Lightning Yuk Clan Patriarch is a man with a strong desire for honor. Fifth Young Lord entering under Seventh Young Lord would diminish the dignity of the Violet Lightning Yuk Clan, so he will not simply watch in silence.”
“I said I’m not going to take him in.”

Hwang Si-mong didn’t even pretend to listen.
He drew patterns in the air and showed me the map he had shown earlier again.

“Here, here, and here.”

Hwang Si-mong pointed to three places.
They were all points around the middle of the map.

“It will be one of these. You will only know which one is correct after entering personally.”
“So the safe zone really does exist. But why does something like this exist? Is it a passage used to enter and exit for maintenance?”
“I understand that there is a separate passage. This is likely a flaw that arose in the process of making the No-Return Cave. No matter how elaborate a mechanical formation is, it cannot be perfect. Somewhere, a gap is bound to appear.”

Well, what existence in the world had no flaw?
Even the Heavenly Demon, who was clearly the greatest of all time, had an obvious defect.

‘So whichever of the three routes it is, it only appears around the middle?’

I recalled the inferior recreation I had just passed through.
Even something reduced to thirty percent was not easy, so how much worse would the original be?
I would manage somehow because I had Death-Line Step, but what about Yuk Ja-heung?

‘Can that guy make it that far?’

If he did not have the skill to reach the safe zone, knowing the location would be useless.
On top of that, there were three routes, and we did not know which one had the safe zone.What if the route he entered had no safe zone?
Yuk Ja-heung would be dead for certain.

‘I’d better leave this as a backup plan.’

I made up my mind.
First, I would tighten the screws on Yuk Ja-heung.
He was pathetic, but he was still the Heavenly Demon’s disciple.
He possessed many things, such as abundant internal energy and the martial arts of the Seven Demonic Houses, so if I pushed him hard, wouldn’t something happen?
I had grown plenty attached to that annoying bastard, so if he died like this, it would leave a bad taste. I had to try something.
Whatever the method, wasn’t it fine as long as he survived?

“I’ll be going now. Thank you for making time when you’re busy.”
“Ho ho, Seventh Young Lord is welcome anytime.”

I nodded and turned around.
As I was about to leave the Patriarch Hall, Hwang Si-mong’s voice came from behind me.

“They say that when a phoenix takes flight, it travels a thousand li¹.”

What is he talking about now?
When I looked at Hwang Si-mong, he smiled gently.

“Those are the eyes of one who harbors a great ambition. I hope you achieve that will.”

……Which part of my eyes exactly?
I shook my head and left the Patriarch Hall.