Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 108 – Fateful Luck (1)

Mok Gyeong-un’s collapsed body was crumbling like tree bark.

And from within that shattering shell,

A new skin filled with luster was rising.

Looking at this, Cheong-ryeong couldn’t hide her excitement and muttered,

-…Rebirth through transformation.

Rebirth through transformation.

It literally means changing the bones and shedding the womb.

It’s a phenomenon where the body undergoes a rapid change in response to enlightenment, and a truly strange thing had occurred.

‘It’s something that could only happen when one reaches the Transformation Realm.’

Originally, rebirth through transformation is only possible after gaining enlightenment at the wall called the end of the supreme Transcendent Realm and achieving Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Energies Paying Homage to the Origin.

Through these two enlightenments, when the Conception and Governing Vessels are opened, one becomes able to handle energy incomparable to the supreme transcendent realm, and the body undergoes a rapid reconstruction to withstand it.

‘Haa…’

However, Mok Gyeong-un had not crossed the wall.

He had merely absorbed the demonic energy of the raccoon Spirit Beast who called itself the Lord of the Western Sea.

Yet, to think that rebirth through transformation occurred to withstand that energy…

‘Strange. Strange indeed.’

How could such a body exist?

He hadn’t even crossed the wall, yet his body was reconstructed to withstand that demonic energy…

One couldn’t help but click their tongue in amazement.

‘…Different.’

The sequence of this fellow’s growth process was completely different from that of ordinary martial artists.

Indeed, from the beginning, he had accumulated death energy, which could be called evil energy, in his danjeon, and even controlled it with a reverse energy circulation technique.

Perhaps it was natural for it to be different.

‘I might be witnessing the birth of a master with a completely different form from the martial arts world thus far.’

Having this thought, a smirk unknowingly escaped her lips.

She wondered what it would have been like if she had accepted him as a disciple while alive, not after death.

However, if she had been alive until now, she would have been a hunched old granny.

As the dead skin completely peeled off, Mok Gyeong-un raised his body.

Skin dust falling off.

“Ah…”

His entire body felt light.

He sensed that his body’s energy was not only full but had surpassed its limits.

Just a moment ago, it had been painful as if his insides were being burned by fire, but there was no more pain.

Even his broken bones had all healed, as there was no abnormality in his movements.

‘Was I lucky?’

This time, he had been prepared to die.

But fortunately, contrary to that resolution, a fateful encounter had come, and he had become even stronger.

‘Stronger…’

It was truly fascinating.

The Spirit Beast that had been sealed for thousands of years and weakened.

Just by absorbing the power of that Spirit Beast, his energy had increased so explosively.

At this level, even a master who had reached the pinnacle-stage of Peak Realm wouldn’t be a problem.

Mok Gyeong-un suddenly recalled the words of Jo Ui-gong, the diviner.

[You heard there was no one?]

[Yes.]

[I don’t know who you heard it from, but it’s not entirely impossible.]

[It’s not impossible?]

[Yes. I, too, didn’t believe it at first. But it is real. Among the diviners who have received the title of ‘God,’ there are two who have subdued Spirit Beasts and made them their servant spirit.]

[Two?]

[Yes. Two of them. It’s astonishing. Ah, I’m saying this just in case, but Asura. They are beings from outside the world. To begin with, one of them is a human and a malevolent… No. Anyway, Spirit Beasts have surpassed the realm that humans can handle. They are disasters themselves.]

Jo Ui-gong had said.

He said that among the Six Divine diviners, considered the pinnacle of diviners, two diviners had Spirit Beasts as their servant spirit.

Recalling this, he thought he still had a long way to go.

He couldn’t even handle a Spirit Beast that had been sealed for a long time and weakened.

It was fortunate that the power of the seal still remained; otherwise, he would have lost his life here.

‘But what did that being mean by those words?’

He remembered the words spoken by the monstrous raccoon Spirit Beast when it came out of his body.

[What in the world is that thing inside you?]

What did it mean by saying there was something inside me?

Mok Gyeong-un was puzzled.

Come to think of it, most of the vengeful spirits that had tried to possess him also seemed to have a shocked reaction after discovering something.

What could be inside him that even a Spirit Beast would say such a thing?

It was puzzling.

At that moment,

-Mortal…

Mok Gyeong-un looked at Cheong-ryeong.

“Ah?”

Mok Gyeong-un frowned at her hazy appearance.

She had become more transparent than when she had grabbed his wrist and pulled him, and she was gradually becoming more so.

“Cheong-ryeong?”

-Rebirth… through transformation… This is quite interesting.

“Hmm?”

-Despite having learned martial arts… for only a short time… You… entered the initial-stage of Transcendent Realm… but reconstructed your body through rebirth…

“…”

-At this rate… You might really… reach Transformation Realm… within 2 years… as you boldly… declared.

“Cheong-ryeong… Your spiritual energy has greatly weakened.”

-Trying to save you… I ended up like this.

“…”

-I didn’t do it… to hear words… of gratitude… So you don’t need to pity me.

She was reciting as if making her last words while struggling to speak.

It was clearly visible to Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes as well.

Her spiritual energy, which was like a blazing flame, was gradually diminishing like a dying candle.

To her, Mok Gyeong-un asked in an uncomprehending tone,

“I told you not to come in, so why did you?”

-…If you die… we all die anyway, so what do you expect me to do?

Cheong-ryeong answered as if hesitating for a moment.

At her appearance, Mok Gyeong-un stared intently at her face.

At this, Cheong-ryeong spoke in a burdened tone,

-Why are you… staring at me like that? Surely you’re not… feeling sad that I’m being extinguished?

“Being… extinguished?”

“…Yes. There is no more hope for me.”

Cheong-ryeong was somewhat aware of it.

Her spiritual energy had already weakened to the point where she couldn’t maintain her own spirit body.

She had a vast amount of spiritual energy to live as a vengeful spirit for 100 years, but having lost most of it, how could she remain?

-Mortal… With your personality… You wouldn’t grieve over the death of a servant spirit… So just listen to one request.

“…”

-I don’t desire anything else… Just the Heaven and Earth Society…

Before Cheong-ryeong could finish her words,

Mok Gyeong-un grabbed her hand.

And he said,

“Let’s talk about that after you recover first.”

-What?

As soon as that question ended, a majestic energy surged in from Mok Gyeong-un’s hand.

It was an energy quite different from her spiritual energy.

‘Demonic energy?’

That’s right.

It was the demonic energy Mok Gyeong-un had seized from the raccoon Spirit Beast.

Mok Gyeong-un had absorbed enough demonic energy to reconstruct his body, refine it into evil energy in his danjeon, and still have some left over.

As the demonic energy surged in, her eyes trembled.

‘What is this?’

A strange thing occurred.

Unlike malevolent spirits that could swallow and devour even vengeful spirits, vengeful spirits couldn’t accept or absorb the demonic energy of those higher entities close to them.

But the demonic energy was surging in through Mok Gyeong-un’s palm.

And that demonic energy was filling her entire body.

‘Ahhh!’

Her spirit body, which had been becoming transparent, gradually became denser.

Then, it quickly returned to its usual appearance.

But it didn’t end there.

-Mortal… Wait… You…

“Concentrate.”

The amount of demonic energy surging in exceeded the level of spiritual energy she originally possessed.

‘This fellow…’

At this, despite being a spirit body, she sat cross-legged.

And as if circulating energy like when she was alive, she focused on making the incoming energy her own.

-How can this be…

Watching this from outside the red line, Green Spirit Gyu Soha’s eyes widened.

It was clearly visible to Gyu Soha’s ghostly eyes.

Cheong-ryeong’s spiritual energy was rapidly increasing, and it was trying to raise her level beyond her original limits.

And eventually, it truly materialized.

A chilling energy that rippled and spread around Cheong-ryeong.

Due to that, the bookshelves around the cavity shook violently.

As her level rose even higher, the spiritual energy flowing from her spirit body greatly influenced even the world with substance.

Cheong-ryeong opened her closed eyes.

A fierce bloody light that gave an even greater sense of pressure to the onlookers.

-Ah…

Even she herself let out an exclamation as if feeling that her level had risen higher than before.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un let go of her hand and said,

“It seems I’m not the only one with good luck.”

-…What did you do? It could have been dangerous.

“It turned out well. At least better than being extinguished, right?”

-You, really…

She couldn’t finish her words.

She had been prepared for extinction, but her level as a vengeful spirit had risen.

It couldn’t be more ironic.

To such Cheong-ryeong, Mok Gyeong-un said,

If my eyes aren’t mistaken, it seems your level has risen even higher. Should I call you Indigo Spirit now?”

Indigo Spirit.

The Basic Writings of the School of Yin and Yang states the following:

A vengeful spirit that has existed for more than three hundred years.

Its spiritual power reaches a level where it materializes beyond auditory and visual hallucinations, and it is a being close to a disaster, almost on par with high-ranking malevolent spirits such as demonic beasts.

To subdue it, at least a hundred diviners are required, but even that is uncertain.

‘Should this also be called fateful luck?’

Mok Gyeong-un was still connected to Cheong-ryeong through the servant spirit bond.

But the fact that her level had become strong enough to reach that of a Blue Spirit was no different from his power increasing by another level.

At that moment, Cheong-ryeong spoke,

“…Forget it. Just call me Cheong-ryeong.”

“Pardon?”

“If you keep changing it back and forth, it’ll be confusing, so just call me Cheong-ryeong.”

As she spoke bluntly and turned her head away for no reason, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and said,

“Could it be that you like the name Cheong-ryeong?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Cheong-ryeong glanced at Mok Gyeong-un and snorted.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “If you say so.”

While they were doing so, someone’s voice was heard.

“Master…”

There, Green Spirit Gyu Soha, with both arms missing and half-transparent, was teary-eyed.

Seeing such Gyu Soha, Cheong-ryeong narrowed her eyes and sighed, saying,

“…Do you have any demonic energy left?”

***

“I’ll be waiting, so please make sure to come and get me.”

Elder Yang Mu-won, the keeper of the treasure vault, spoke to Mok Gyeong-un, who was about to pass through the formation at the entrance, as if earnestly pleading.

As evident from his changed tone, Gyu Soha had possessed his body.

They had to take this measure because Elder Yang Mu-won had witnessed something and couldn’t just leave it alone.

However, despite verbally pleading to come and get him, Gyu Soha’s expression was quite gleeful.

“She’s in high spirits. In high spirits indeed.”

“Well, that’s understandable.”

That’s because Gyu Soha, who had absorbed the remaining demonic energy Mok Gyeong-un possessed, had astonishingly risen from a Green Spirit to a Blue Spirit.

She was originally close to a Blue Spirit, but the high-purity demonic energy had properly acted as an uplifting force.

Anyway, after entrusting this place to Gyu Soha, Mok Gyeong-un passed through the formation at the cavity entrance and descended the cliff.

There, Senior Warrior Gwak Mun-gi was waiting with a bored expression, leaning against the cliff.

Then,

When someone tapped his back, he was startled and tried to take a defensive stance while keeping a distance, but…

“Oh? You?”

“Did you wait long?”

Mok Gyeong-un asked with a bright smile.

At his appearance, Gwak Mun-gi’s expression stiffened.

‘What in the world…’

Although Mok Gyeong-un had qualified as a provisional elder, the energy he sensed was at best only first-rate, so he had considered him a step below himself.

But what was happening?

‘…I can’t sense it.’

He could barely sense the energy of Mok Gyeong-un in front of his eyes.

Both his presence and energy were faint.

He was right in front of him, so what was going on?

Could it be that he had gained some enlightenment in the treasure vault?