Chapter 87: Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Whispers of the Evil Altar (2)

“This is your grave!”

At that moment, a chilling voice echoed from the cave entrance.

A massive man clad in black armor emerged from the darkness.

But Gugwi sensed something strange. The opponent’s movements were too stiff. His gait was deformed, like someone whose joints had hardened.

“They… something’s off.”

“Do you hear any breathing? It’s not just controlled breathing… it’s like they’re not breathing at all.”

Jang Unhyeok tilted his head as he spoke.

Behind the towering man followed more than a dozen elite martial artists. All were clad in black armor, their eyes brimming with murderous intent. Yet their movements also seemed unnatural.

The towering man shouted, drawing a long and thick sword.

Though his voice sounded like that of a living person, his actions were like those of a puppet being controlled.

Black energy surged from his sword. Yet even that energy felt strangely hollow.

Jang Unhyeok suddenly pinched his nose and spoke.

“Don’t you smell something weird? What is this scent?”

Indeed, a sweet and peculiar fragrance flowed in from the cave entrance. It was a scent so pleasant one wanted to keep inhaling it—like the fresh fragrance of new spring grass.

“Hallucinogenic Grass!”

The Red Spearman shouted in alarm.

“This is a poisonous herb that causes hallucinations! Hold your breath!”

But it was already too late. The entire group had already inhaled the scent of the Hallucinogenic Grass.

The towering man violently swung his sword.

“This is… a deceptive formation! Soulstone Trap! A trap created by the Dark Spirit Sect to guard the altar!”

Jang Unhyeok was struck by a sudden realization.

The black-armored men swinging swords… They were statues. But under the influence of the Hallucinogenic Grass, they appeared to be living martial artists. Getting hit by those swords could actually kill them.

These statues were being moved by mechanism arts.

Hidden mechanisms embedded in the ground controlled their movements—mechanisms that responded to the movements of Gugwi’s group. In other words, the floor contained fine devices that tracked their every step.

From the statues’ joints came the sound of bones cracking.

Gugwi swung his spear to block the incoming sword.

A powerful spear technique infused with the energies of Un Serim and General Madal. A blue vortex whirled from the spear tip and shot toward the massive statue. A sound like air splitting followed.

The spear pierced through the statue’s sword and impaled its chest. But instead of blood, only stone dust scattered.

“This… this can’t be!”

It was clearly a statue. The scattering dust proved it. But under the influence of the Hallucinogenic Grass, what he saw was something else entirely. A towering man stumbling back with an expression of disbelief.

Gugwi charged in without hesitation.

Trap or no trap, if the opponent was about to fall, why not bring them down completely?

General Madal’s Flying Swallow Slash exploded fiercely. The towering man’s neck separated and flew into the air. At least, that’s what it looked like to Gugwi. Was that also an illusion caused by the Hallucinogenic Grass?

The towering man collapsed, drained of strength. To Gugwi, it appeared as if he was breathing his last and falling.

The Red Spearman examined the fallen statue closely.

“These things… they’re all stone!”

He touched the statue’s face and felt the cold texture of rock. It was true—stone.

“We were deceived by the Hallucinogenic Grass! We have to get out of here quickly!”

Yeon Sohye spoke, covering her nose.

But the scent of the Hallucinogenic Grass only thickened. And more statues began to move.

“Thankfully, they don’t seem too powerful…”

Gugwi couldn’t finish his sentence.

Something strange occurred where the fallen statue—the towering man—had collapsed.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. The entire cave trembled.

When the statue’s fragments hit the ground, the hidden mechanisms began to activate in succession.

From the direction of the altar, a red light grew more intense. Like a massive heart beating. That red light in the cave… he thought it was the glow of dusk, but no—it was the glow emitted by a gemstone or something similar.

The sounds of mechanisms echoed from all directions.

“Ah! We’ve triggered it for real. The wall engravings are moving!”

Yeon Sohye shouted in alarm.

Indeed, the carvings on the walls began to glow one by one and move. Was this also the influence of the Hallucinogenic Grass? They appeared like living monsters.

More statues emerged from the walls.

They too moved with the power of mechanisms. Yet they looked like living beings. Slowly… they encircled the group.

“Hurry! To the altar!”

The influence of the Hallucinogenic Grass was overwhelming.

Even knowing those moving figures were statues, they appeared real.

The boundary between reality and hallucination grew blurred.

Gugwi even thought he could hear the voice of the Manifest Demon Emperor erupting from the Realm of the Threshold.

But it was actually a sound emanating from the trap mechanisms.

‘I’ve waited so long for your arrival.’

The Spirit Flow Core reacted violently from his heart. Blue light burst explosively from his chest.

With things as they were, how could he distinguish reality from illusion?

‘Namgung Hoyoung! Is there a way?’

Gugwi sought the power of the Physician of Clarity, Namgung Hoyoung.

‘The Spirit Flow Core is immense power. Purifies the poison of Hallucinogenic Grass. Sufficient.’

Namgung Hoyoung’s voice seemed to echo in his mind, as if spoken from the Realm of the Threshold.

Gugwi did not hesitate for a moment.

‘Soul Purification Technique!’

Blue light enveloped the surrounding air. Like when he formed the Spiritless Zone, he expanded the energy outward. The most update n0vels are published on novel·fiɾe·net

Was it just his imagination? The scent of the Hallucinogenic Grass began to dissipate.

“Now… I can see the real thing.”

It became clear that the 'martial artists' around them were all statues. However, the mechanisms were still operating.

“We have to completely shut down the Soulstone Trap!”

Jang Unhyeok shouted.

No, that wasn’t right. Jang Unhyeok had misunderstood. It was true that the Soulstone Trap had been deployed here… but completely shutting down the formation wasn’t the solution. This formation was guiding the group in a specific direction.

‘A guide! It’s guiding us!’

No wonder the towering man had fallen so easily. No wonder no attacks had occurred even though the trap was running at full force.

“Everyone… move around the statues. Avoid their swords. They're guiding us.”

Gugwi widened his eyes and began to make his way through the formation.

“They’re reacting to the Spirit Flow Core.”

Yeon Sohye approached and spoke in a low voice.

“I felt the same. If we didn’t have the Spirit Flow Core… they would’ve attacked us. This formation… it’s not to be taken lightly. Escaping at full power would be nearly impossible.”

Gugwi looked at the frozen statues, wondering when they had moved.

“Did you hear anything?”

Yeon Sohye asked Jang Unhyeok.

“I didn’t even know there was a formation here, so what would I have heard? If it’s something I wouldn’t be told, it must be top secret. With a mechanism of this scale, they must’ve known. Probably only the Cult Leader and the Twelve True Armies knew about it.”

Gugwi said, looking ahead.

A massive stone chamber appeared before the group. It was a grand space with a ceiling dozens of jang high.

At the center of the chamber stood a colossal altar.

The altar was made of black stone, and an ominous engraving of the Manifest Demon Emperor was carved into it.

Translucent forms drifted around it.

Remnants of the souls sacrificed here… their groans echoed through the stone chamber.

‘So cold… it’s so cold…’

Gugwi’s Spirit Flow Core began resonating strongly with the engravings.

Blue light surged from his chest and extended toward the engravings.

Wiiing… Wiiiing… Wiiiing…!

The entire chamber vibrated. Even the floor stones seemed to tremble.

Suddenly, a massive figure appeared at the center of the chamber. It was an illusion of the Manifest Demon Emperor.

A gigantic human form made of black smoke, but the face was twisted. Countless eyes were embedded across its body, and poisonous vapor seeped from its mouth.

The Manifest Demon Emperor spoke. His voice echoed from every direction.

‘Become one with me. Then I shall grant you infinite power.’

The illusion began to show them visions. Tempting secrets of domination over the Three Realms.

Infinite power, eternal rule, the annihilation of all enemies. Everything in the world kneeling at one's feet.

The illusion began attacking each member individually.

Yeon Sohye fell into the illusion first. Her pupils dulled as her past was replayed.

The betrayal at the Cold Wolf Sect, the deaths of her comrades, her own powerlessness….

“I… I’m not fit to be a Spirit Summoner.”

Yeon Sohye murmured, falling to her knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Next was Jang Unhyeok… he too was lost in his own illusion.

His son, Geunsoo, was being sacrificed on this very altar. The child stared at him with resentful eyes.

Jang Unhyeok cried out, unleashing Harmony of Flame and Wind in a frenzy. Crimson flames and blue winds whirled through the chamber.

Then, an illusion appeared before Gugwi as well.

His father, Guun, stood before young Gugwi. In his hand was the Spirit Flow Core.

“You must be sacrificed. You are the Gatekeeper’s bloodline and possess the Minor Mastery Body. If your death can save the world, then it’s worth the price. This is your destiny.”

Guun spoke in a cold voice.

Gugwi roared, swinging his spear at the illusion in fury.

Cloudfire Spear Slash tore through the illusion. His father! And strangely, the wound felt real. Blood spilled from his father’s chest, and the pain was vividly felt.

“This… is this real?”

It couldn’t be real. It was fake. Like the Soulstone Trap, this place was under the control of some kind of illusion.

The Spirit Flow Core gripped his heart tightly.

Thanks to that—thanks to the stabbing pain that clenched his heart as if it were being torn apart… Gugwi snapped back to his senses.

The first thing he saw was the Red Spearman, kneeling and wailing.

Perhaps he was witnessing his wife’s death, for he kept calling her name.

The Red Spearman stabbed his spear into empty air. A void, just like when Gugwi had stabbed his father.

“Illusory Name Command!”

Gugwi entered the Realm of the Threshold.

Within this special space, unaffected by the chamber’s influence, he focused on the Spirit Flow Core.

Blue light shimmered and rose. Though it was light emanating from his own heart, outside the Realm of the Threshold… it looked like a beautiful blue flower blooming in a distant world.

Pararang! Pararararang!

The blue light rippled like waves and spread outward.

That light enveloped Yeon Sohye. It coiled around Jang Unhyeok, and pierced through Jin Geonmu’s entire body.

Gradually, the three began to regain consciousness.

Gugwi purified all the illusions with the Spirit Flow Core.

If these illusions were solely caused by the poisonous herb, the Spirit Flow Core wouldn’t have been able to intervene. But Soul Purification had worked. Which meant that along with the herb, there had been interference from spirits.

Light filled the entire stone chamber.

The illusions vanished one by one. Along with them, the engraving of the Manifest Demon Emperor on the altar disappeared as well.

A completely black altar.

A monochrome altar with no engravings revealed itself.

The laughter of spirits, the temptations of the Manifest Demon Emperor… no threats could be felt anymore.