Chapter 91: Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Strengthened Devotion to Training (1)
To steadily strive in order to become stronger
Gugwi couldn’t make sense of anything.
He had merely followed a map that Sa Hyeollin had dropped by chance, but here, he had come to uncover tremendous truths.
‘The Dark Spirit Sect used the Heavenly Sound Cult as nothing more than a front to prepare for the resurrection of the Manifest Demon Emperor. But as the Heavenly Sound Cult grew in power and established its own forces… the roles have now reversed.’
Un Serim pointed to another section.
“Just read it. I can’t understand the characters anyway.”
Gugwi said half-jokingly. But jokes didn’t work on Un Serim. He continued to send his words directly into Gugwi’s mind with a tone as stiff as stone.
‘The Heavenly Sound Cult Leader intends to eliminate all remaining forces of the Dark Spirit Sect and monopolize the altar. He harbors ambitions to resurrect the Manifest Demon Emperor and control him with his own hands.’
Gugwi clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fire.net
“Then this altar now belongs to the Heavenly Sound Cult?”
‘It is the final bastion of the Dark Spirit Sect. One of the four Sacred Stars yet to be seized by the Heavenly Sound Cult. They have twisted the original plan of the Dark Spirit Sect to turn the Manifest Demon Emperor into their puppet.’
“Is that even possible?”
Gugwi tilted his head.
He could understand the notion of resurrecting the Manifest Demon Emperor. Having sensed even a sliver of that being within the Realm of the Threshold, he believed in the existence of such an entity.
But to turn him into a puppet? The Emperor of the Realm of the Threshold?
That was too much to believe. He had been resisting with all his might whenever the Spirit Flow Core tried to approach the Manifest Demon Emperor… and now these people want to command that resurrected emperor like a servant?
Are the people of the Heavenly Sound Cult out of their minds!
At that moment, the Spirit Flow Core trembled violently. From his chest, a pulse of blue light beat like a second heart, its rhythm chaotic. Was it resonating with the document?
Suddenly, a section of the wall began to split apart with a rumbling sound.
From what had appeared to be a sealed-off space, a secret door was being revealed.
Gugwi stared at the splitting wall with wide eyes. As stone dust fell away, a hidden chamber slowly came into view. From within, a red light pulsed faintly, leaking outward.
Gugwi cautiously approached.
His footsteps echoed on the stone floor. With each step, the air grew colder.
At the center of the room sat a massive relic. An ancient suit of armor. Made of black iron, it emanated waves of malevolent energy. Strange symbols were engraved on its surface.
Suddenly, the armor began to rise.
No—it wasn’t the armor itself, but a spirit attached to it that was rising.
Metallic clinks rang from the joints of the armor.
A translucent shadow seeped out from within. Its form gradually solidified as it gazed at Gugwi.
Two crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness.
“I have… waited long.”
The voice echoed throughout the cave.
‘A remnant of the Manifest Demon Emperor…?’
An earthbound spirit clinging to the armor even in death.
If that was true, then the Manifest Demon Emperor had indeed existed? Did losing him mean he had died?
“Gatekeeper’s bloodline… Offer your body.”
The powerful voice rang out like hypnosis.
Gugwi took a step back. The chilling energy wrapped around his body, raising goosebumps.
“Become one with me.”
The remnant’s voice turned sweet. Like honey melting in the mouth—sickeningly sweet.
“Unlimited power… Absolute authority… Eternal life….”
Gugwi’s consciousness wavered.
Vivid illusions flashed through his mind. He saw himself ruling the world, enemies kneeling at his feet, Yeon Sohye and his companions looking up to him in awe….
He nearly succumbed to the temptation. His hand was reaching forward on its own, about to grasp the hand of the Manifest Demon Emperor.
But he quickly snapped back to his senses.
Gugwi shouted, clenching his hand tightly.
The dead were often stirred by relics of the living world. If they were not ascended spirits, if they lingered within the Realm of the Threshold… coming into contact with possessions from their past life would agitate them.
If he took this hand now, the Manifest Demon Emperor would awaken.
Gugwi activated the Spirit Flow Core. Spiritless Zone—he unleashed the Soul Purification Technique. From his fingertips, blue light burst forth and wrapped around the remnant of the Manifest Demon Emperor. The purifying light collided fiercely with the remnant’s darkness.
“Graaaaagh! You dare!”
The remnant roared and spewed out black energy.
Gugwi felt a vivid hallucination—as if thick black smoke surged from the armor and rushed toward him.
Gugwi had already stepped into the Realm of the Threshold.
All souls were bound to obey the Gatekeeper of the Realm of the Threshold. No defiance would be tolerated.
The remnant spirit within the armor was powerless before Gugwi’s purification. As the command of the Realm of the Threshold merged with the power of the Spirit Flow Core, the purification became even stronger.
The Spiritless Zone expanded to its fullest.
The blue light enveloped the entire hidden chamber, gradually erasing the remnant of the Manifest Demon Emperor.
“No… it can’t be… I… am eternal….”
The remnant’s voice grew fainter.
A final scream echoed as the remnant was completely extinguished.
The armor crumbled into powder and scattered on the floor. It had maintained its form solely through the power of the spirit.
The soul within the armor had vanished.
Through this process, Gugwi came to a realization.
His fate—the weight of the burden he must bear.
‘The Gatekeeper of the Realm of the Threshold is the bloodline of the Gatekeeper. Guiding spirits and purifying evil spirits is my destiny. I cannot run from it.’
At that moment, Gugwi was confronted with an even greater truth.
With the armor gone, a massive altar hidden beneath it was revealed.
The armor had been placed atop the altar. As it vanished, the altar came into view. And… the immense power accumulated within it began connecting to Gugwi’s Spirit Flow Core.
The strength of resentful spirits amassed over centuries!
The grief and despair of countless sacrifices!
All of it surged into Gugwi at once.
Gugwi fell to his knees.
Inside his chest, the Spirit Flow Core raged uncontrollably.
It was an overwhelming power. Like trying to pour the entire ocean into a single small bowl.
And at that moment, something deep within the Realm of the Threshold stirred.
The Manifest Demon Emperor!
The Manifest Demon Emperor, who had absorbed the power of the altar, slowly opened his narrow eyes.
A massive and overwhelming presence stirred within the darkness of the Realm of the Threshold. Though the number of sacrifices was still insufficient for a full awakening, there was no doubt that he had regained consciousness.
‘Soon… I will soon be resurrected….’
The whisper of the Manifest Demon Emperor seeped into Gugwi’s mind.
The voice was immense enough to topple mountains, yet held the mournful tone of a crying infant.
‘More sacrifices… More souls…!’
Gugwi clenched his teeth and rose to his feet.
His entire body trembled, but he could not give up. Blood trickled from his nostrils due to the overload of the Spirit Flow Core. But he could not stop.
‘I must not absorb more souls. I can’t allow them to flow into him.’
It was a powerful temptation.
Absorbing souls would immediately grant him more strength. The Spirit Flow Core would grow stronger. He could feel the power spreading through his veins, bones, and muscles. He could see the spirits more clearly, and it felt as though he could command them at will.
But this power… would ultimately flow into the Manifest Demon Emperor.
‘I must destroy the altar. If I leave it as it is… the Manifest Demon Emperor will truly awaken!’
Gugwi staggered toward the altar.
The surface of the altar was engraved with countless faces of lingering spirits. Innocent victims, young and old alike… their final expressions vividly captured.
“All of you… to the Realm of the Threshold!”
Gugwi placed both hands on the altar. In that instant, a shock like an electric current surged up his arms.
Fwoosh! Bang! Bang bang bang bang bang!
The blue light of the Spirit Flow Core collided violently with the red energy of the altar.
As the two forces met, sparks flew and the surrounding air began to scorch. Heaven and earth felt as if they had flipped.
“This power! I’ll… absorb it all!”
Gugwi’s shout echoed throughout the archive.
He had initially intended to destroy the altar… but once he touched the immense power, the temptation of the Manifest Demon Emperor overwhelmed him. With this power, it felt as though he could become the strongest being on earth.
It was a tremendous seduction. At that moment—
“Gugwi! What are you doing!”
Yeon Sohye’s voice rang out from beyond a pile of rubble. Her voice was laced with fear.
Gugwi snapped back to his senses.
‘Damn! The altar is trying to consume me… It’s certain! If I don’t destroy it now, the Manifest Demon Emperor will fully awaken!’
Gugwi poured in more power.
The light of the Spirit Flow Core penetrated deep into the altar. At the same time, the power accumulated over centuries was being absorbed. The Manifest Demon Emperor was drinking in that power. On the other side, the Spirit Flow Core’s energy poured into the altar.
A fine crack formed on the altar’s surface. Then minute fractures spread outward like a spider’s web.
The Spirit Flow Core was reaching its limit. A pain surged in his chest as if something was about to burst.
But at that moment, a warm energy reached him from beyond the pile of stones.
It was Yeon Sohye’s inner force. A silver aura pierced through the wall and touched Gugwi’s back.
“I don’t know what you’re doing, but don’t do it alone! We’ll help you!”
Yeon Sohye’s voice echoed. Soon after, Jang Unhyeok’s fiery energy and Jin Geonmu’s blood energy followed. The inner forces of the three merged and flowed into Gugwi’s body.
The overload of the Spirit Flow Core was now being shared among the three.
Gugwi didn’t even have the mind to express his gratitude. He poured in his last ounce of strength.
Crrrack! Craaack! Boom!
At last, the altar completely collapsed.
The floor of the stone chamber split open, and massive fissures stretched out like lightning.
From the altar’s center burst a blinding light, releasing in an instant the power of lingering spirits that had been sealed for centuries.
Blue light and red energy swirled together and surged toward the sky.
The pillar of light pierced through the cave ceiling and stretched into the night sky, rendering even the starlight dim by comparison.
Tremors spread like waves from beneath their feet.
Dust on the stone floor danced into the air, and the walls cracked as stone fragments poured down like a waterfall.
The entire mountain range groaned.
Moans echoed from distant valleys, rocks collided with thunderous roars, and growls rose from the earth’s depths, all converging into a symphony of madness.
Birds burst from their nests in panic. Black shapes poured out beneath the moonlight, scattering in all directions. Beasts howled and fled deep into the forest.
Inside the archive, the collapse became even more catastrophic.
The stone pillars that had supported the cave for centuries cracked and fell one by one.
A thick pillar snapped in the middle. Then the second, the third—collapsing in a chain reaction.
Massive stone slabs from the ceiling began to fall.
A boulder the size of a person slammed into the floor with a loud thud. Then even larger chunks came crashing down in succession. Dust spiraled up like a tornado, obscuring all sight.
Bookshelves toppled one after another, and hundreds of ancient texts were thrown into the air and scattered. Scrolls fluttered like butterflies, landing among the falling stones and vanishing into the dust.
The mechanical devices were destroyed one by one.
Gears creaked to a halt, chains snapped and rolled across the floor. Mechanisms that opened and closed stone doors let out one final scream before falling silent.
The entire cave collapsed.