Chapter 928

Blood Soul Gu.

A cursed venomous creature created by the Five Poisons Sect, which had once drenched Nanman in blood.

When I realized what had driven the City Lord of Sichuan Province to his death, everyone—including me—had been certain it was Dark Heaven’s doing, and that it had deep ties to the Emperor.

But now I wasn’t so sure.

What was true, and what was false? How much of what I knew could I believe?

And was the woman standing before me, watching me with a bitter smile, really on our side?

And…

If the Bow Saint was the one who planted the Blood Soul Gu, then what kind of being is the Martial God behind her—the one who foresaw my appearance?

The Martial God was shrouded in mystery, and my questions about him seemed endless.

Grind.

I ground my teeth and glared at the Bow Saint.

“I asked you who planted the Blood Soul Gu in the City Lord of Sichuan Province.”

The Bow Saint watched me in silence, then abruptly spoke.

“What would you do if I said it was me?”

“……!”

A jolt ran down my spine. I forced myself to keep my voice steady.

“You’d have to explain yourself. Well enough to convince all of us, including me.”

“And if it still doesn’t convince you?”

“Then…”

I swallowed. Almost by instinct, I lowered my stance a fraction, ready to strike at any moment.

There was no absolute good or evil in this world. But Dark Heaven—and the Lord of Heaven—came close enough to absolute evil.

If the Bow Saint had used the Blood Soul Gu, which was deeply connected to Dark Heaven, and it had close ties to Dark Heaven, there was only one thing I could do.

“I wouldn’t keep speaking to you this politely.”

At that moment, a fierce wind swirled around us.

Whoosh.

No. It wasn’t swirling. The winds were colliding.

The waves of qi pressing against each other were about to surge when the Bow Saint’s narrowed eyes curved like a full moon.

“Good. That’s how it should be.”

“What…?”

“You’ve exceeded my expectations. In every way.”

It didn’t take long to understand what her smile and those few words meant.

A test.

The thought flashed through my mind, and the tension gripping my whole body snapped loose.

Damn it.

The Bow Saint frowned in mock disapproval.

“Hm. Still wet behind the ears, and you talk to your elders like that?”

“If you were really an elder, you wouldn’t mess with someone who’s still wet behind the ears.”

“I’ve spent decades looking for you. What’s a little teasing after all that?”

The Bow Saint smiled faintly. As she looked at me, there was a hint of approval in her eyes.

“So you had nothing to do with the City Lord’s death or the Blood Soul Gu after all?”

“I had something to do with it.”

The Bow Saint tossed out the bombshell as if it were nothing. She stroked a flower and continued.

“I sent him back into danger, knowing full well he would die soon. I thought that if he died in Sichuan, someone close to you there would notice what had happened.”

“You knew he was going to die?”

“The City Lord of Sichuan Province was already infected with the Blood Soul Gu while he was staying in the Imperial Capital. Naturally, it was Dark Heaven’s doing—or, more precisely, the doing of the City Lord’s favorite concubine.”

“Wait. Aehyang?”

“Yes.”

My eyes widened. The Bow Saint went on in the same even tone.

“Don’t be surprised. If you need to control someone and that someone is a man, there’s no surer method than using a beautiful woman.”

“But how did you know she was working for Dark Heaven just from that?”

“I investigated her discreetly myself and found that she was highly skilled in Soul Bewitchment. I’d heard he was neglecting his duties because he was besotted with women. I was keeping an eye on him when I had him summoned to the Imperial Capital.”

A memory from not so long ago came back to me: the first time I’d met the City Lord, before the incident that came to be known as the Sichuan Blood Tragedy. He’d been half naked even then.

So even back then…?

A chill ran down my spine.

Not because I’d failed to notice that Aehyang, a Dark Heaven agent, was right beside him. Because I couldn’t begin to guess how far Dark Heaven’s shadow—its dark hand—had reached.

“Then does that mean…?”

“Yes.”

The Bow Saint nodded before I could finish.

“Dark Heaven has reached the roots of the Great Nation. It has worked its way into every corner, so thoroughly that we don’t know where its reach ends.”

“……!”

“The Eastern Heaven Demon Lord’s death didn’t end this. There are likely still quite a few local officials with real power, great and small, working with Dark Heaven. Generals who command armies, too. And that would include some of the City Lords who govern the provinces.”

I swallowed.

A province might sound like a simple administrative division, but the land and population within one were enormous.

Why else had dozens of warlords proclaimed themselves kings and fought for supremacy in the chaotic age of the past? Just to claim legitimacy by calling themselves kings?

Half right, half wrong.

If you conquered a region and absorbed all the strength of its land, you could build enough power to claim the title of king of an entire nation.

These days, the City Lords were officials who answered to a powerful central government. But if they set their minds on rebellion, they could do tremendous damage to the Great Nation.

He wasn’t exaggerating. He wasn’t lying.

Before the Eastern Heaven Demon Lord had accepted everything and let go, he’d poured out a curse in his rage.

This is only the beginning. Even if you protected the Imperial Capital, the flames will sweep across the land.

But they hadn’t been empty words spat out in anger. There was truth in them. A time bomb that might go off before long.

Damn it.

My head felt hot. My breath came ragged though I hadn’t moved, and my heart pounded.

I could almost see flames flickering before my eyes, ready to swallow both the modern world and Murim. And behind them stood the shadow of a giant who had swept aside the curtain and appeared when no one expected him.

“Then what do we do now? What do we do from here?”

I asked the Bow Saint, struggling to catch my breath.

No. The question was really for the person who had left a letter long ago and, through it, guided her to this moment.

The Martial God.

Born a man, yet called a god. He had saved the world once and left behind a plan to save it again.

I was asking him.

I wanted another prophecy from his letter to the Bow Saint. One ray of light to show me the way down this pitch-black road.

“What am I—fuck—what am I supposed to do?!”

I was practically shouting. The Bow Saint’s answer held no light at all.

“I don’t know. Neither does he.”

“……!”

All the strength went out of me. My vision blurred, and my head sank.

I’d been sure there was something more. Something more to it.

I thought he would be different, if anyone could. He was the one who had been certain that a person like me would appear someday.

I’d even found myself thinking something impossible.

What if the Martial God—the greatest of all time, with his dazzling achievements and divine authority—

Maybe…

I clenched my teeth and was about to follow that unbelievable thought to its conclusion when a quiet voice reached my lowered head.

“But there is one thing.”

I slowly raised my head as if under a spell.

The Bow Saint was there, gazing at me with eyes sunk deep.

“He left a message for the chosen one.”

“What…what message?”

“Divine strength.”

Why did those two words make me freeze? An inexplicable chill crept down my spine.

The Bow Saint spoke calmly and quietly, but her voice rang in my ears like thunder.

“He said the chosen one must forge a path with the divine strength and Will only the chosen one can possess. Just as…”

Her voice trailed off. In that instant, the world slowed.

An invisible curtain seemed to fall over my eyes and ears. I could see only the Bow Saint—her lips moving slowly. I could hear only the words passing between them.

Just as you yourself did.

“……!”

Time began to move again.

I didn’t. I stared at her, frozen as if I were trapped in ice.

I…what did I just…

What had I heard?

My mind felt as though it had emptied completely. A few words floated there, bright against the blankness.

Just as you yourself did.

Just as you, the Martial God, did.

That could mean only one thing.

The Martial God had been a chosen one like me.

No. More precisely…

A System user.

Player.

The word rushed in to fill my empty mind, swelling until it felt ready to burst. A clear chime rang out.

Ding.

And at that moment—

Slip.

I felt the sky and ground slowly turn over as I fell into pitch-black darkness.

Everything happened at once.

Jin Taekyung’s trembling form crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. The Bow Saint’s hand shot out and seized his collar. And finally, the cold dawn air that had drifted through the abandoned garden suddenly grew hot.

Grab. Fwoosh!

The Bow Saint steadied Jin Taekyung, then spoke to the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared.

“How strange. I don’t remember inviting you, too.”

The guest answered in a low voice.

“I do call him my Disciple. How could I leave him alone with some nasty old hag and not worry?”

The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang.

His voice was calm, but flames flickered in his eyes.

“Fine. Let’s hear what kind of nonsense you’ve been up to.”

The Bow Saint gave a short laugh and shook her head.

“All these years, and you haven’t changed. Still charging in without thinking.”

“Do I have to say it twice?”

“You were hiding like a rat and listening. You already know. That was all I said. The boy was simply exhausted beyond his limits.”

She looked down at the unconscious Taekyung. Dried blood marked his face in several places, and the strain of his fierce struggle still showed there.

They were traces of how brilliantly—and nobly—he had fought.

“Take him with you. Let him get a little more rest.”

Jeok Cheongang didn’t hesitate for long. He carried Jin Taekyung on his back as if he’d been waiting for the chance, then used his movement technique to hurry away. The Bow Saint watched him until he was gone.

Then, suddenly, she saw a flower bud slowly opening in the light.

It was the first light of dawn.