Papat!
Neither the Beast Miao King nor White Tiger slowed. I narrowed my eyes against the chilly wind sweeping over me.
That’s Ailao Mountain.
Its rugged slopes and deep valleys were unmistakable even from a distance. Countless mist-shrouded peaks rose high enough to pierce the sky.
Perhaps it was the predawn darkness that had yet to lift. Or perhaps it was knowing this had once been the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect, which had terrorized Nanman long ago. Whatever the reason, Ailao Mountain looked dark and ominous as it drew closer.
Maybe that was why the Beast Miao King’s voice was so low when he spoke.
“The Five Poisons Sect was destroyed by the Palace. But not everything they left behind disappeared.”
If people vanished and left things behind, you could simply burn those things. It was different when they had legs.
“No one knew that whatever the Five Poisons Sect had left behind was still living in the deepest reaches of Ailao Mountain.”
For more than a hundred years.
The Five Poisons Sect’s dark legacy lived on deep within the mountain. In a territory no one else could enter, they devoured one another, bred, and slowly grew in number.
“But our ancestors eventually found out. In a way no one would have wished for.”
Three hundred of Nanman’s elite warriors dissolved into a handful of bloody water. Two great chieftains and a dozen or so tribal chiefs were torn limb from limb.
It happened at a Tribal Grand Council held on Ailao Mountain, exactly one hundred years after the Nanman Beast Palace destroyed the Five Poisons Sect.
“According to the records, the Palace was attacked by venomous beasts and strange predators rarely seen in Nanman—or anywhere else in the world.”
There were deadly poisons with no known antidote, and hundreds of beasts with claws and teeth harder than steel.
The unexpected attack dealt the Nanman Beast Palace devastating losses. They were horrified to find a trace of the Five Poisons Sect, which they had believed was long gone.
“Once again, all of Nanman joined forces. We mobilized every warrior from every tribe, surrounded Ailao Mountain, and set out to kill them.”
But the campaign was only half a success.
They killed hundreds of beasts and burned the venomous creatures, but their own losses were too great. And in the process, divisions began to open among the tribes.
When you think about it, how could they not?
Even if you ordered a single pizza to share, someone would get an extra topping and someone else would get less.
The campaign on Ailao Mountain worked much the same way.
Sensing danger, the venomous creatures and fierce beasts popped up everywhere to attack, as though they’d been possessed by Hong Gil-dong.1 The tribal chiefs leading the warriors were afraid of how many of their own people they might lose.
They couldn’t exactly say, “Since it’s come to this, let’s have a few people from each tribe die and split it evenly.”
“The tribes grew more divided by the day. As a last resort, we tried fire. It spread beyond the mountain and caused even more damage, but it still wasn’t enough to burn all of Ailao Mountain.”
And so the Nanman Beast Palace had to withdraw. That did not mean they had nothing to show for their losses.
“The Palace suffered terribly, but we reduced the threat just as much. We hunted countless venomous beasts and fierce predators and burned at least part of the mountain. Perhaps the result was only natural.”
“What happened after that?”
“Ailao Mountain went quiet, as if nothing had happened. But this time, no one let down their guard. We declared the entire mountain forbidden land and permanently stationed three hundred elite warriors drawn from the tribes there. Every year, the four great chieftains took turns leading small-scale hunts. That is how we kept the peace for more than a hundred years.”
For the tribal chiefs of the Nanman Beast Palace, it was a reasonable compromise. They could guard against the threat on Ailao Mountain without suffering such terrible losses again.
The problem was…
“I think that peace ends today.”
My voice sank as I pointed ahead.
At the end of the dark, rugged valley, which looked like the entrance to hell, a lone figure sat against a tree.
Whoosh!
The Beast Miao King shot upward like a beam of light, crossed the air, and landed at the mouth of the valley.
I followed close behind. By the time I climbed down from White Tiger’s back, the Beast Miao King was standing before the figure, his face set like stone.
“…We’re too late. He’s already dead.”
I nodded quietly. I would have known even if he hadn’t said it. An indescribable stench had struck my nose before we got within a few steps.
And there was only one cause of death that could produce a smell like that.
Poison. It’s poison.
An incredibly potent poison. The figure slumped against the tree—no, the corpse—gave off a stench, and the ground and grass soaked with the bloody fluid seeping from it had turned black and died.
Unless a martial artist had cultivated Scorching Yang Qi, rooted in the fire qi that countered poison, even an early Peak master would have trouble withstanding the poisonous qi within three zhang2 of the body.
Grrr.
I soothed White Tiger, whose brow was deeply furrowed, and spoke.
“Do you recognize him?”
“He looks familiar, though I can’t place him. He must be one of the warriors stationed on Ailao Mountain.”
“Do you usually post a guard at the entrance?”
“Of course not. We need every warrior on the mountain in case something happens. It covers such a vast area that there are three or four villages nearby, but the villagers know all this well enough.”
In other words, the area had been strictly controlled for so long that there was no need for another sentry.
Which meant…
He came down from the mountain. He was running from something.
I looked around.
Beyond the thick darkness, faint but unmistakable footprints remained. They were clearly human. I could see no tracks left by a beast or any venomous creature.
There was something else, too.
“There’s a wound. Look at his side.”
As the Beast Miao King said, the clothing at the corpse’s side was torn as though something had clawed it, and the skin beneath was black.
“It wasn’t a weapon. Looks like something rough and powerful barely grazed him, but…”
“That is what makes poison frightening. A small wound can kill in moments.”
He had only been scratched, and it had done this much damage. Was it anything like the Formless Ultimate Poison that had once afflicted Jeok Cheongang?
I took my eyes off the corpse and stared into the dark valley. I had not seen what happened, but I could almost picture it.
Until a short while ago, the nameless warrior must have been running through that rugged valley. Poisoned, stumbling and staggering, he had fled in a panic before dying beneath the tree.
It was tragic. But right now, I needed to know what had killed him.
Was it Dark Heaven? One of Ailao Mountain’s venomous beasts? Or…
A venomous beast from Ailao Mountain controlled by Dark Heaven.
With that question unanswered, I turned to the Beast Miao King.
“In the end, it seems there’s only one answer.”
“Yes.”
His voice was the growl of an enraged beast.
“I’ll see for myself which bastard did this.”
Ding.
System
Investigate Ailao Mountain Within the Time Limit (Incomplete)
Time Remaining: 01:24:32
It should have been growing light by now, but Ailao Mountain remained steeped in darkness.
And darkness was not the only thing there.
The scent of blood.
The smell had become familiar to me at some point. Now it served as an invisible guide. Following the dead warrior’s footprints through the mountain, the Beast Miao King and I caught the scent on the damp wind and changed course without hesitation.
At last, we found them.
Countless bodies lay scattered across the ridges. The stench of deadly poison overwhelmed even the thick smell of blood.
“…!”
“…!”
How many were there? A hundred? More?
The grim possibility that had occurred to me when we found the body in the valley was now before my eyes.
At the horrific sight, the Beast Miao King’s eyes blazed.
“What bastard dares…? I’ll tear him limb from limb!”
For the ruler of the Nanman Beast Palace, it was only natural to be furious. But instead of joining him, I kept as calm as I could. I drew up my internal energy, formed a qi curtain to keep any sound from escaping, and examined the bodies.
Broken bones. Bruises. Severed limbs. Poisoning.
Unlike the first warrior, these people had died in different ways. Some had been killed with their limbs crushed. More than a few had parts of their bodies—their necks, among other things—torn away by some unknown, tremendous force.
Anyone chosen to guard Ailao Mountain must have been skilled.
Yet they had been slaughtered like this.
From what I had seen, the Beast Miao King, Baeksang, and a handful of others stood out, while most Nanman warriors were less skilled than those of the Central Plains. Even so, these elite warriors would have been First Rate at minimum, with some at Supreme First Rate and perhaps a rare Peak master among them.
And Nanman warriors don’t fight alone. With the beasts that accompany them, they should be a match for a major sect of the Central Plains…
I broke off as something felt wrong. Then I saw White Tiger watching our surroundings with a low growl and realized what it was.
The beasts. Where did they go?
The beasts that were always at their warriors’ sides, as inseparable as parts of their own bodies, were gone.
I looked around quickly. Among what had to be more than a hundred human corpses, I could see only three or four dead beasts.
“Why?”
The moment I voiced the question—
Hsssss.
“…!”
A chilling presence rode the wind toward us, piercing me like an awl.
The Beast Miao King, who had barely managed to contain his rage, and I both turned our heads like lightning.
We saw it. Heard it.
Rustle.
Far away, grass stirred faintly. Darkness rippled as though it were alive. And then—
Grrr.
A low growl, deep as an abyss, came from something crouched in the dark grass.
Step.
In a world that seemed to slow, the darkness moved, trampling the grass beneath it.
Wrapped head to toe in black, it came toward us. It was larger than any beast I had ever seen, and its blue-white eyes held unmistakable anger and majesty.
Black Tiger.
The word flashed through my mind like lightning. At that exact moment, White Tiger’s body began to tremble.
Gwaaaaaaaaaang!
A roar tore through the darkness, shaking heaven and earth. At the same time, a familiar chime rang in my ears.
Ding.
System
- Ailao Mountain’s Wraith has appeared!
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