Chapter 57: Exploration of the Black Shadow (2)

Paaang!

Sasaha’s finger, which had struck into the Guigweol Acupoint, was flung back as if snapped.

It was as if she had touched a piece of red-hot iron—smoke rose from the tip of her finger.

“Kh!”

Sasaha clutched her hand and stepped back. She shook it as if to shake off the impact that threatened to shatter her finger. The tips of her index and middle fingers were flushed bright red.

“What is this…?”

Her face grew pale. Through her finger, she had tasted the true nature of the Spirit Flow Core.

Though it lasted only a fleeting moment… her consciousness was dragged deep into the Realm of the Threshold. A vast space unfolded, one her Soul-Summoning Arts could not hope to control. An endless ocean-like world of spirits—the true face of the Realm of the Threshold.

“For it… for it to be on such a scale…”

Sasaha muttered in a trembling voice.

The scenery Gugwi had shown her was a domain so immense that even she, a Great Soul-Summoner, had never experienced anything like it. It was like an ant staring at the sea—an overwhelming disparity that induced despair.

The Spirit Flow Core was not merely a treasure of Soul-Summoning. It was the nucleus directly connected to the Realm of the Threshold. Before its true power, all of Sasaha’s Soul-Summoning Arts felt utterly insignificant.

“This… this is the heart of the Manifest Demon Emperor…”

Sasaha stepped back in shock.

What she had only heard of in legends was real. Her fingers still tingled as remnants of the Spirit Flow Core surged along her meridians. That power was pure yet overwhelming. It felt as though her Soul-Summoning Arts had been temporarily sealed, as if she had touched the sun itself.

“Huuuk!”

Gugwi exhaled heavily, then muttered in a low voice.

“Un Serim! General Madal!”

At that instant, the Sect Leader of the Cloud Flow Sect and General Madal made Spirit Contact with Gugwi.

With a spear in hand, Un Serim appeared, alongside the dignified form of General Madal wielding a great saber.

Everyone was aghast. In the Spiritless Zone, Gugwi alone had managed to summon spirits.

“This is cheating.”

Sasaha exclaimed in alarm.

“To make all of our Spirit Union martial artists flee, only to summon spirits himself…”

Shweeeek!

Gugwi struck forward with the Cloud Flow Spear. Explosive energy burst from its tip.

Sasaha drew her sword, facing him with her own martial arts.

Chaaang!

Her blade sang as it was drawn.

To say one could not fight without Spirit Union martial artists—such an excuse was unworthy of a Soul-Summoning Master of her caliber.

Spirit Union martial artists were formidable, yes, but not absolute. In this era, there existed martial artists stronger than them. Ultimately, Sasaha herself sought to become a martial artist stronger than any of her Spirit Union subordinates.

Her swordsmanship was an original martial art, one forged by fusing what she had learned from her four Spirit Union martial artists.

Shiiing!

Her sword whirled like the wind, rushing toward Gugwi.

It carried the speed of the Black Wind Technique, the ever-changing flow of the Poison Cloud Technique, the deceptiveness of the Silver Spirit Technique, and the lethal sting of the Dark Blood Point Technique—all condensed into one strike.

Her blade swept three times, weaving into a single trajectory that encircled Gugwi.

He immediately raised his spear to counter.

The spear spun wide, cutting through the path of her sword, before thrusting at her shoulder.

Kkaang!

Sword and spear clashed, sparks flying.

In that instant, Sasaha’s blade twisted like a serpent, darting toward Gugwi’s throat.

He blocked with the spear shaft, countering with its tip. Sasaha twisted her body, evading, and instantly slashed in a crosswise counter.

General Madal’s martial arts surged forth. Gugwi’s spear carried the heavy force of the great saber, pressing down on Sasaha.

Shiiing!

The spear descended like a colossal axe.

Sasaha split her sword’s movements in two—one blade deflected the spear, the other stabbed toward Gugwi’s chest.

He twisted his body, narrowly evading.

The exchange grew tense. Her sword was swift as the wind, his spear flowed fluid as water. They blocked, evaded, and struck in a fierce clash.

But as time passed, a change emerged.

The Spirit Flow Core’s blue light grew ever stronger in Gugwi’s movements.

The spirits of Un Serim and General Madal grew clearer, their power surging.

The spiritual energy left behind by the Nameless Martial Artist flowed along Gugwi’s meridians, merging with the Spirit Flow Core. His body grew as resilient as an ancient thousand-year tree, yet retained its flexibility.

Sasaha launched three consecutive strikes.

Her sword raised a storm, assailing him from three directions at once. But Gugwi spun his spear, blocking them all—and in the same breath, its tip shot forth like lightning toward her chest.

Kwaaang!

She raised her blade to block, but the sheer force drove her back.

Her heel caught on a rock, making her stumble.

Gugwi’s body grew increasingly spring-like. Every time he took her attack, he rebounded with even greater force. The clumsy movements from earlier were gone without a trace.

“What is this…!”

Sasaha faltered.

The longer Gugwi fought, the stronger he became.

Shweeeeng!

Explosive energy burst from his spear. Its tip blossomed like a flower, scattering spear qi in all directions. Sasaha hastily crossed her blades to defend, but the impact numbed her arms.

“Ugh!”

She groaned. Now she was clearly being pushed back.

Shweeeek!

A decisive strike came flying.

The spear tip grazed her neck, slicing off a few strands of her hair.

Her wrist nearly snapped under the force pressing down on her sword. Though unscathed, she had narrowly avoided grievous injury. And she knew—such moments would only grow more frequent.

“How intriguing.”

Sasaha smiled, not with despair, but with satisfaction.

“The Spirit Flow Core is working properly.”

She slowly lowered her sword, signaling Jin Mukran with a glance.

“Let’s end it here for today. Any further, and it’s boring. To use Spirit Union martial artists alone—that’s far too much of a cheat. But… there must be a way to counter this. I’ll find it soon enough.”

Her voice brimmed with composure, like a hunter who had confirmed the strength of her prey.

“Next time we meet, this trick won’t work.”

Jin Mukran ceased fighting Jang Unhyeok and approached her side.

“We’ve confirmed the power of the Spirit Flow Core.”

Sasaha looked at Gugwi as she spoke.

“Grow stronger until then. That will make things more entertaining.”

The two were shrouded in black smoke and vanished.

Silence fell upon the Budohyeop. What remained were Gugwi’s group and the stillness of the Spiritless Zone.

The silence of the Spiritless Zone.

Gugwi expanded his consciousness into the Realm of the Threshold, guided by the energy of the Spirit Flow Core. In an instant, he was drawn into deep darkness.

The Realm of the Threshold was silent.

It felt as if the fierce battle with Sasaha had been nothing but a lie. Only perfect silence flowed here. A neutral space, without darkness or coldness. An eternal moment where even the flow of time seemed to halt.

Gugwi slowly took a step forward.

Not even the sound of footsteps could be heard. In this place, everything dissolved into silence.

‘Where… is this?’

He looked around.

It was different from the Realm of the Threshold he usually saw. There were no whispers of spirits, no fragments of souls. Only emptiness, as if all spirits in the world had vanished.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the distance.

Gugwi walked toward it.

The light gradually grew clearer, forming into a shape. An ancient stone stele.

Something was inscribed upon it in archaic script.

When Gugwi reached out and touched the letters, the Spirit Flow Core suddenly reacted.

Kuuung!

Blue light enveloped the stone stele, and the letters began to glow one by one.

‘Cloud Flow Sect… Spirit Flow Core… guardian…’

The words streamed into Gugwi’s mind. But they were only fragments, not a complete sentence.

“There must be more…”

Gugwi went behind the stele. There stood another one. And behind that, yet another…

Dozens of stone steles stretched out in a line.

Gugwi placed his hand on the second stele.

‘Manifest Demon Emperor… seal… price…’

The third stele.

‘Spirit Flow Core… heart… separation…’

The fourth stele.

‘Cloud Flow Sect… oath… guardians…’

More and more information flowed into his mind. Yet it was still scattered fragments.

When Gugwi stood before the fifth stele, the scenery around him suddenly changed.

The darkness receded, revealing an ancient hall. It was the Cloud Flow Sect of old.

Inside, dozens of martial artists sat in council. Their faces were grave.

“The seal on the Spirit Flow Core is weakening.”

One martial artist reported.

“The Spirit Flow Core is revealing itself too strongly. We can no longer conceal its blue radiance.”

Another nodded.

“Then…”

Un Serim rose to his feet.

A deep determination was etched across his face.

“Our Cloud Flow Sect must protect the Spirit Flow Core. No matter the cost.”

“Sect Leader…”

“If the Manifest Demon Emperor awakens, the Three Realms will fall into chaos. If we do not stop him, who will?”

Un Serim’s voice carried a solemn weight.

“The Spirit Flow Core was separated from the Manifest Demon Emperor’s heart. If he reclaims that power…”

An elder spoke up.

“Is there no way to reseal the Spirit Flow Core?”

“There is.”

Un Serim spoke slowly.

“We transplant the Spirit Flow Core into the bloodline of the Gatekeeper. Place it in a living vessel, and when the Core stirs… destroy the vessel. Then the Spirit Flow Core will be sealed forever.”

The hall stirred.

“But if we do that…”

“I know.”

Un Serim nodded.

“The bloodline of the Gatekeeper will die. But for the peace of the Three Realms, it is a necessary sacrifice.”

The vision dissolved, and Gugwi stood once more before the stone stele.

‘The Cloud Flow Sect… was a brotherhood dedicated to guarding the Spirit Flow Core?’

His mind swirled with confusion.

This truth was entirely different from what he had believed. The Cloud Flow Sect was not merely a Murim sect. They were guardians of the secret of the Spirit Flow Core and the Manifest Demon Emperor.

Gugwi moved on to the next stele.

The sixth, the seventh. Each time he touched one, new visions unfolded.

On the sixth stele, he saw the Dark Spirit Sect invading.

Martial artists clad in black assaulted the Cloud Flow Sect, demanding the Spirit Flow Core.

On the seventh stele, the Cloud Flow Sect’s resistance was shown. Disciples fought to the death to protect the Core. The hall drenched in blood, comrades collapsing one by one…

On the eighth stele, a fierce battle raged over the Spirit Flow Core.

Un Serim fought alone against the masters of the Dark Spirit Sect. His spear technique cut down foes like lightning, but the overwhelming numbers could not be overcome.

And on the ninth and final stele, Un Serim was shown holding the Spirit Flow Core to his chest, disappearing into the distance. His face bore both deep sorrow and firm resolve.

“The Spirit Flow Core… must be protected…”

Un Serim’s final words echoed in Gugwi’s ears.

“Someone… must bear this burden. Forgive me…”

Gugwi’s chest grew heavy.

Both Un Serim and his father, Guun, had carried the weight of the Spirit Flow Core all their lives.

Gugwi stood before the last stele.

Upon it was inscribed a message unlike the others:

「Bearer of the Spirit Flow Core, choose your fate. Will you stand against the Manifest Demon Emperor, or perish together with the Spirit Flow Core?」

His hand trembled.

‘So Father knew this truth as well.’

Now he understood why Guun had implanted the Spirit Flow Core in him, and why he had told him to end his own life.

‘The Cloud Flow Sect was a brotherhood protecting the Spirit Flow Core, and Father passed that duty to me. He knew how impossible it would be to fight the Manifest Demon Emperor—that it would be far easier to end myself…’

Gugwi lifted his hand from the stele.

The Realm of the Threshold shifted back into darkness. But now, that darkness no longer frightened him. Instead, it felt serene.

‘Now I understand.’

Gugwi whispered.

‘Why I came to bear the Spirit Flow Core…’

Slowly, he withdrew from the Realm of the Threshold. It was time to return to reality.

But his heart was no longer troubled. He had simply learned the truth about the Spirit Flow Core and the Cloud Flow Sect.

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