Light Novel: Volume 17 Episode 3
Manhwa: N/A

The Ghost King’s eyes were eerily empty. It was as if just looking into his eyes, the viewer, too, would feel a sense of emptiness. 

It was the same for Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol also felt that something inside him was broken.

Having endured countless harsh trials that were difficult for a human to bear, some part of his human emotions and sensibility had become worn down. 

The Ghost King, on the other hand, seemed to be missing something from the beginning. 

The difference between the two was great.

While Pyo-wol was still somewhat aware of what he had lost, the Ghost King didn’t even know what was missing from himself.

Perhaps for that reason, the words of the Ghost King didn’t sound hollow.

“What do you want me to help you with?”

“Be my guide.”

“Guide?”

“I can’t find my way very well. There’s a place I must go to–”

“Are you saying that if I help you find the way, you will heal this woman? How?”

“There is a land that can heal people.”

“A land?”

Pyo-wol frowned.

He had never heard of a land that could heal people. 

But this information was coming from the Ghost King himself, not anyone else’s.

He may be lacking something inside of him, but he wasn’t the kind of person to make stuff up and talk nonsense.

Pyo-wol nodded.

“Let’s go together.”

“Good.”

The Ghost King nodded as if he had expected it.

And with that, the conversation between the two came to an end.

Having accomplished his goal, the Ghost King sat down, leaned against a rock, and closed his eyes.

Pyo-wol observed the Ghost King without saying a word. 

Pyo-wol could hardly feel the Ghost King’s breathing, nor could he detect many other signs of life, for that matter. The Ghost King looked like a wooden puppet with its strings cut. Yet, the Ghost King was clearly alive.

He was as mysterious as his nickname, the Ghost King. 

Hong Ye-seol whispered in Pyo-wol’s ear.

“Did you accept his offer because of me?”

“That’s right.”

“Oh my, that makes me happy! But you have another reason for doing so, right?”

“That’s also true.”

“I knew it. Still, I’m happy. To receive such consideration from a man like you.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re the Reaper. I can smell death on you, and that’s scary. But what scares me the most is that I still find you attractive.”

This was the reason Hong Ye-seol always kept a certain distance from Pyo-wol.

She was scared that if she got closer to him, she would lose herself. That’s why she always tried to keep a psychological distance from Pyo-wol. 

Even now, she felt that if she stayed by his side for too long, she would never be able to escape. So she spoke sternly, 

“As soon as my body recovers, I will leave for the Hundred Wraith Union.”

“Is it because of Noh Kang-hyun?”

“I need to know who commissioned me to kill him.”

“I’m afraid the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union won’t tell you easily.”

“Then I’ll just have to make him talk.”

“Is such a thing possible?”

“I’ll make it possible.”

“You’ll have to risk your life again.”

“It’s part of the job.”

“I wish you success.”

“Thank you.”

Hong Ye-seol smiled, looking at the bonfire. 

Her pale face was tinged with red.

* * *

At the crack of dawn, the Ghost King opened his eyes.

Ordinary people would usually do all sorts of things, such as stretch or yawn, after waking up this early in the morning, but the Ghost King did not do any of that. He just straight up sat up. 

His behavior was reminiscent of a bronze statue at the Shaolin Temple.

Anyone would think that if a bronze statue were to come to life and start moving, it would behave just like the Ghost King. 

Pyo-wol’s movements were no different than the Ghost King’s.

The moment the Ghost King opened his eyes, so did Pyo-wol.

The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to examine Hong Ye-seol.

Hong Ye-seol was not in good condition. Her health had worsened overnight.

Having her ride a horse would be dangerous at this point. 

After thinking for a moment, Pyo-wol untied the saddle and harness from the horse that had been tied up nearby. 

Pyo-wol whispered to the horse,

“Thank you for your service. Now, you are free to live as you please.”

Neigh!

Pyo-wol slapped the horse on its rear. Startled, the horse immediately galloped away. 

Pyo-wol silently watched the horse’s receding figure as it sped away.

He’d been together with the horse for quite some time, so he had gotten close to it. 

Although it was a bit sad to see his horse go, there was nothing he could do with his current circumstances. 

He didn’t know how treacherous the place he was going to with the Ghost King would be, and having Hong Ye-seol ride a horse was not an option either.

Giving the horse its freedom now would be best, even for the sake of the horse.

Pyo-wol tore off the thick cloth he had placed between the horse and the saddle and made it into a rope. Then he carried Hong Ye-seol onto his back and tied her and himself together with the rope.

After making sure there was no problem moving his arms and legs, he said to the Ghost King,

“Let’s go!”

“Mm!”

The Ghost King nodded and led the way.

As Pyo-wol followed the Ghost King, he turned one hand behind him and placed it on Hong Ye-seol’s Mingmen, carefully injecting his inner qi into her.

Whether the Ghost King knew about Pyo-wol’s actions or not, he used his qinggong and dashed forward. Pyo-wol quickly followed suit, using his qiggong and trailing behind the Ghost King.

If any other martial artists could see what Pyo-wol was doing, they would have exclaimed that what he was doing was akin to suicide.

Injecting internal energy into someone else’s body requires a high level of control and concentration.

Given that it’s a task that requires a high level of precision, it is usually done in a quiet place without any distractions. Yet, here Pyo-wol was, simultaneously doing it while spreading his qinggong. 

A slight mistake would not only endanger Hong Ye-seol but also his own, and yet he still continued to do so without any hesitation.

The Ghost King glanced back and looked at Pyo-wol’s actions.

An ordinary person would have certainly given Pyo-wol some advice, but the Ghost King was no ordinary person. He didn’t mind Pyo-wol’s behavior and focused on spreading his qinggong. 

Letting the horse go was, in the end, a good thing.

The Ghost King moved along a path that horses couldn’t possibly travel. He traveled through a dense forest where one could not see an inch ahead, and broke through tall rocky mountains.

He traveled a route that not only horses, but even average martial artists would have difficulty traversing. 

If it wasn’t Pyo-wol following him, the others would have fallen behind long ago.

Even with Hong Ye-seol on his back, Pyo-wol ran closely behind the Ghost King. 

Pyo-wol found the task difficult at first, but as time went on, he learned a more precise way of maneuvering and manipulating his internal energy. 

Hong Ye-seol’s innate qi was extremely weak.

If Pyo-wol hadn’t been constantly injecting his internal energy into her, she would have died long ago.

Hong Ye-seol also experienced a major crisis in the middle.

“Haak! Haaak!”

Hong Ye-seol suddenly gasped for air, a sign that she was having another attack. 

Pyo-wol quickly administered the last remaining Black Flower Spider poison to her.

Thud!

Hong Ye-seol shook violently as her innate qi was stimulated. 

After a little time had passed, color returned to Hong Ye-seol’s face. Her condition finally stabilized. Her breathing also looked much smoother and more comfortable. 

However, the expression on Pyo-wol’s face was dark.

This was because he knew that her current appearance was a common deathbed phenomenon. She might experience her strength returning to her now, but it was only temporary, just like the final radiance of the setting sun.1 

Stimulating her innate qi might have temporarily boosted her vitality, but no one knows how long this phenomenon would last.

One thing was for sure, and that was once this phenomenon was over, no other method would be able to save her life.

Pyo-wol carried Hong Ye-seol on his back again and asked the Ghost King,

“Is it still far?”

“We’re almost there.”

The Ghost King’s answer was the same as what he had said half a day ago.

Back then, he also said that they were already close. 

As Pyo-wol re-tied the rope around Hong Ye-seol and his body, he said,

“We should have arrived by now then.”

“I do not lie.”

The Ghost King simply turned away.

Pyo-wol watched the Ghost King’s back for a moment but could not press him any further.

It was too late to turn back now that they had come this far.

No matter the outcome, he had to follow the Ghost King to the end.

Pyo-wol took off, following the Ghost King yet again. 

After several days and nights of following the Ghost King, even Pyo-wol had no idea where they were passing through and where they were going.

The Ghost King’s qinggong skill was so great if he dared pay attention to something else even slightly, the distance between them would widen quickly, so Pyo-wol had no choice but to focus only on following him.

The place they arrived at was a dense mountain with no name.

The evergreen trees were so thick that it was impossible to guess the direction.

People coming here for the first time would likely lose their way and wander, eventually dying in the end. 

However, such a thing was not a matter of concern for the Ghost King and Pyo-wol.

They weren’t moving on the ground, they were stepping on the treetops using qinggong. 

Pyo-wol wrinkled his nose.

A strong pungent smell suddenly wafted through the air. 

The smell was intense that it actually made him feel dizzy.

His training in the underground cave had made his sense of smell more acute than that of an animal. So, this sensitivity made Pyo-wol even more uncomfortable.

Pyo-wol quickly blocked his sense of smell with internal energy, and after a while, his mind cleared.

It was a terrible, dank, and unpleasant odor.

Pyo-wol had never smelled such a stench before, which made it all the more puzzling.

The Ghost King had called this place a land that saves lives but if someone or any creature for that matter continues to smell the odor, they would not be able to withstand it and die.

Soon, the dense green forest ended, and a black land appeared without a single blade of grass.

The land looked as if it was covered in black sand, it was pitch-black and no traces of life existed. The foul odor was also emanating from the black ground. 

The Ghost King said,

“We have arrived.”

“This doesn’t look like a land that saves people.”

“We must go a little further inland. The land that saves people is there.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The Ghost King didn’t hesitate to step into the black land.

Pyo-wol followed behind him. 

The deeper they went, the worse the stench became.

Even though Pyo-wol had already blocked his sense of smell with his internal energy, his head still throbbed. 

He wondered if any person or creature could survive in a place like this.

Suddenly, a red land appeared before them. 

A conspicuously red land, existing like an island in the middle of the black land.

The Ghost King looked at it and said,

“Right there. That red land over there is sucking up all the earth qi2 in its vicinity, causing its surrounding area to become black and dead.” 

“It sucks up earth qi?”

“I don’t know why, but it’s true. Nonetheless, it’s thanks to that land that I have healed a great wound.”

The Ghost King happened to find this place accidentally. 

He was once gravely injured in the past. Although he had near-immortal regenerative abilities, his wounds were severe.

Then, he found this place purely out of instinct and determination to live.

He didn’t have any information about this place beforehand nor did he know anything about its location. He just found it solely by instinct, driven by the thought that he had to live. 

The reason why the whole area had turned black and lifeless was because of the red soil. The red soil had sucked all life out of its surroundings. 

“What should we do?”

“Bury her inside. The red land will take care of the rest.”

“Really?”

Pyo-wol carried Hong Ye-seol into the red land.

He could immediately feel the extraordinary energy of the red land.

Pyo-wol laid Hong Ye-seol down on one side and used both hands to dig into the red soil. The red soil was as soft as tofu that he didn’t even need to use qi to dig through it.

After digging deep enough for a person to lie down, Pyo-wol carefully laid Hong Ye-seol down.

Pyo-wol covered Hong Ye-seol’s body with red soil, leaving only her face exposed.

Even now, Hong Ye-seol has yet to regain consciousness.

Pyo-wol stared at Hong Ye-seol’s face for a moment before returning to the Ghost King’s side.

The Ghost King said to Pyo-wol,

“Now, we must stay away from here.”

“Why?”

“If we stay near the red land, it will also steal our qi.”

Without waiting for Pyo-wol to answer, the Ghost King flew away and sat in a high tree outside the black ground. 

Pyo-wol also flew and landed next to Ghost King.

“Our work here is done. The land will do the rest.”

“Do you know the identity of that red land?”

“I don’t. But this isn’t the only place in the world where such land exists.”

“There’s more?”

“There are at least three that I have seen with my own eyes.”

“And yet people don’t know about them?”

“Because no one has ever buried themselves in that land like I have.”

Above all, the lands he discovered were all in places that others could not easily access.

The Ghost King muttered,

“Maybe one day that land will cover the whole world.”


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