Chapter 95 – The Trial of the Spiritual Fire

Jin So-chan and his companions had not been climbing Mount Mo for long when they encountered the monks of the Mo Mountain Sect.

They were displeased that they had been given the Nokokguk, a potion to be used only in emergencies, to call them out, but when they showed the letter from the martial arts prince, they guided them without a word.

The Mo Mountain Sect’s stronghold, surrounded by layers of alcohol and truth techniques, was so well hidden that outsiders could never find it unless they destroyed the entire mountain.

As soon as the group crossed the gate of the Mo Mountain Sect, crimson flames enveloped them.

Except for Hong Yeon-hwa, for some reason.

Even the monks who were guiding them were surprised by this unexpected situation. Hong Yeon-hwa hurriedly used her inner strength to disperse the flames, but it was too late.

Although they did not suffer any burns, Jin So-chan and Peng So-so stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at the air.

Hong Yeon-hwa judged it to be a trap or defensive technique of the Mo Mountain Sect and immediately unfolded the Cheonma Gwallyeombo to control the surroundings.

And now they had arrived.

“I may not have the ability to complete the trial of the Spiritual Water, but I can at least steal the process! If necessary, you can break the Spiritual Water, so please trust me and calm down your anger for now.”

“….”

Hong Yeon-hwa slowly closed and opened her eyes, and the pressure that felt like the sky was falling and the energy that squeezed her heart disappeared without a trace.

“Good. However, if any small problems arise for my husband and younger brother, then….”

Suddenly, an old woman with white hair, a senior member of the Mo Mountain Sect, urgently shouted to Hong Yeon-hwa.

“Don’t worry! Although it is not common, there have been many trials of the Spiritual Fire, and there has never been a single person injured!”

The Spiritual Fire, a mysterious flame discovered by Mohongok, the Mo Mountain Sect’s excavation inspector, in Mount Mo.

The crimson flames burn the energy instead of the vehicle and do not extinguish until the energy is exhausted.

Mohongok, who went to find a place where the energy of the dragon vein was concentrated for training, discovered the Spiritual Fire in a cave and underwent the trial after being chosen by the Spiritual Fire.

“The inspector who passed the trial reached the highest level of the Golden Immortal, called the Jujeon Juson, and became a saint before leaving for the next world.”

Although the field was slightly different, she was like the shaman Jang Sam-pung or the Dalma Daesa of the Sollim.

Before leaving the world, she announced her enlightenment and established the Mo Mountain Sect to manage the Spiritual Fire.

However, Hong Yeon-hwa was a master of the Huin, with one foot in the realm of the divine. In this age where the existence of the divine was ambiguous, she was the closest thing to it.

Hong Yeon-hwa cut off Jang Mun-in’s words with a cold expression and spoke up.

“That’s enough of that useless talk. So what is the evidence that the trial of the Spiritual Fire is safe?”

“Well, even after that, many talented monks have undergone the trial of the Spiritual Fire. I am one of those people.”

“Tell me more about it.”

Jang Mun-in cautiously spoke while preparing a technique to spy on Jin So-chan and Peng So-so’s trial.

“The ultimate goal of the monks is to become divine. This is true not only for those who practice martial arts like the Udo and Jwado factions, but also for those who practice shamanism or other forms of magic. The trial of the Spiritual Fire tests the conditions for becoming divine, and passing it is an opportunity to gain tremendous power.”

The test method is simple. It involves seeing through an illusion that is no different from reality and delving deep into one’s mind.

Of course, one may experience various shocking experiences during the process, but like most dreams, when one wakes up, everything becomes vague, and there is no mental aftereffect.

It is also physically harmless since everything happens within the illusion.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s gaze deepened as she watched Jang Mun-in sweating profusely and scattering talismans around him.

The existence of the Spiritual Fire, which burns with energy and gives tremendous power to those who pass the trial, was strangely familiar to her, like a burning flame that ignites one’s energy.

The similarity between Hong Yeon-hwa’s world and this world that they were in, which they had discussed in the carriage, and the igniting of the dragon vein’s energy just before the Great War.

The fragmented pieces of information floated around in Hong Yeon-hwa’s head, confusing her mind, but she soon shook her head and pushed them all away.

“I must only think of my husband and younger brother’s safety now.”

They said that the dragon vein’s energy would ignite and burn. If that’s the case, the solution is simple. She just needs to wrap herself in her own energy and extinguish it.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s energy was already covering the entire Mosanpa. She had also located the position of the Spiritual Fire a long time ago.

And using her energy from a distance was not a difficult task for Hong Yeon-hwa.

Hong Yeon-hwa gathered her thoughts, and not long after, Jang Mun-in’s technique was complete.

Zing-

With a resonating sound, the sand on the ground moved on its own and drew two pictures.

One in front of Jin So-chan, and the other in front of Peng So-so.

The two sand pictures, which moved in real-time, had minor differences, but their overall content was the same.

Jin So-chan, Hong Yeon-hwa, and Peng So-so living happily together.

Jang Mun-in, who had been admiring the peaceful scene, interrupted Hong Yeon-hwa’s thoughts and continued his explanation.

“The trial of the Spiritual Fire is divided into two parts. The first part is to fulfill one’s desires and see the end of one’s desires. If one’s desires are within reason, the trial ends immediately. However…”

“You passed the first part. What is the second part of the trial?”

“To test how strong one’s will is, the ideal world that one has built up until now is thoroughly destroyed. Everything that one does goes wrong, and one faces the worst possible outcome.”

“What do you mean?”

“If one is forcibly awakened during the trial, no one knows what will happen! And everything one feels in the illusion disappears quickly, like foam!”

“….”

Even if the pain one feels at that time does not disappear, Jang Mun-in’s words were correct.

Thinking this, Hong Yeon-hwa calmed down and reconsidered the situation.

“…I can only watch for now.”

Of course, it was extremely unpleasant for Hong Yeon-hwa to have someone rummage through her loved ones’ minds without permission, but their safety was the priority.

If there were any variables, it would be better to watch quietly for now.

Hong Yeon-hwa clenched her fist so hard that her nails dug into her skin and looked at the picture on the ground.

There, Jin So-chan was crossing a light-made door.

***

Everything was perfect. It felt a bit strange that everything was going according to the best-case scenario that they had imagined, but who cares.

Good things are good things.

After all the preparations were complete, they finally crossed over to the world where Hong Yeon-hwa was.

And…

“Chunmada! The demon king has returned! Kill him before he regains his power! No, close the door so he can’t escape!”

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people surrounded them and rushed towards them, spewing out killing intent.

The distance was quite far, but they were completely surrounded, which was a problem.

Chang-

Instinctively, he drew his sword. But something felt strange.

It was as if he was moving in water, and his body felt heavy and sluggish…

“What the hell?!”

Why did he have no inner energy?!

In a hurry, he tried to use his martial arts, but then he turned around.

“This, this is…”

“Jin Gagga…!”

However, Hong Yeon-hwa and Jin So-chan were also in a similar situation, looking embarrassed and uncertain.

Unlike me, who can draw in my inner energy with the Muryeong Divine Art, the two of them cannot use their inner energy at all, so their situation must be even more serious.

There is no time to calmly find a solution. Even at this moment, hundreds of warriors are rushing towards us to kill us.

Their momentum is not good. Even if it were Hong Yeon-hwa, it would be impossible to win this fight.

“Run away! Go back! Quickly!”

“It’s too late! I don’t know what they did, but they closed the door!”

Suddenly, the voice that shouted for them to close the door came to mind.

Did they fall into a dangerous place by chance, or was it planned from the beginning…?

Hong Yeon-hwa’s face turned pale as she came to the same conclusion.

“That outfit…is it the Muryeong Clan? No, no way. Surely, the Muryeong Clan would have destroyed everything. Then, the remnants? How did they know I would come here…?”

“Yeon-hwa?”

“Ah…it’s my fault. If I hadn’t left any remnants, if I had thought more carefully about why I lost my inner energy at first…”

“Snap out of it! That’s not important right now! We need to think about how to escape from here!”

“Jin Gagga! Left! The left side looks weaker!”

At the urgent cry of Jin So-chan, I turned my head and saw that the warriors on the left were indeed less aggressive.

As the term “remnants” suggests, most of these guys are not top-notch warriors, mostly just average warriors with a few elite warriors mixed in.

Even in a state of losing my inner energy, Hong Yeon-hwa’s skills are still intact, and Jin So-chan’s strength has not disappeared.

Thanks to the Muryeong Divine Art, my power has weakened a lot, but I can still use my sword, so I can handle that level of warriors.

“Okay! We’ll break through to the left!”

***

…To cut to the chase, the left side was a trap.

The self-proclaimed Divine Muryeong Clan Leader, a top-notch warrior, was hiding in the meantime and aimed for our backs.

“Cough…!”

His sword pierced my heart. My breath was cut off, and my knees buckled involuntarily.

The Muryeong Divine Art is still giving me strength, but now it’s useless. No matter how full my inner energy is, I can’t live without a heart.

I feel the cold sensation of the ground on my cheek. Through my blurry vision, I saw Hong Yeon-hwa and Jin So-chan, who had fallen before me.

“Why…did it have to end up like this?”

Everything was perfect. Everything was going well.

Just a little while ago, we were talking about how we would have our wedding and how many children we would have…

But why are we lying on the ground now? Wasn’t all that was left for us to live happily ever after?

Before anger or sadness, I couldn’t understand the situation itself.

Hong Yeon-hwa would know the answer. As she always has, she will give me the answer this time too.

I crawled towards the two who were lying on the ground, using my arms instead of my legs.

Slowly, but surely, I was about to reach Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand.

Crunch.

“Ah…!”

Someone stepped on my hand, crushing it.

And then my vision spun around. I was left alone.

“Cheonma! Cheonma has returned! Kill them before they regain their strength! No, close the door so they can’t escape!”

“Ugh…!”

What the fuck.