Chapter 752: You Did Well Bringing that Pouch
It was truly a beautiful melody.
However, Geom Mugeuk knew. The sweeter this melody was, the closer it brought one to death.
This was a sound that came from hell itself.
When the brief performance ended, a man stepped out through the open door.
He was tall and lanky, his body so thin that it could be said only bones and skin remained.
His cheekbones jutted out, his cheeks were sunken deep, and in the place where eyes should have been were pupils bleached white, lifeless. He was blind.
His emaciated frame looked as if it could collapse at any moment, yet strangely, there was a rhythm in his movements.
Was he hearing a music that only he could perceive? The way his feet stepped forward resembled drums beating in time, and the long arms he swung looked as though he were dancing to a hidden rhythm.
Could a blind man walk like this? The thought came naturally—no, it was more than walking; it was a form of movement technique.
What caught the most attention among all was the pipa he held.
The old and worn pipa was peculiar in that it had no strings.
Therefore, the beautiful melody from before clearly could not have been played by him.
But Geom Mugeuk knew it was this man who had played it. Because he knew who this man was.
The Tenth King among the Twelve Zodiac Kings—Sound King, Shin Ryu.
In the realm of sound-based martial arts, he was known as an unmatched genius, a man said to have no rival throughout history.
That stringless pipa in his hands was his unique weapon—the Ghost Tune Stringless Pipa.
Yet among the Twelve Zodiac Kings, he had never been a particularly notable figure. No one knew whom he had killed or what deeds he had done.
Even so, he had held his position among the Twelve until the very end—with that frail body that looked as though it might collapse at any moment, and those blind eyes that could not see.
Before his death, he was said to have completed a fearsome sound-based technique.
A technique so powerful that no master could withstand it. Yet, the martial world never came to know what kind of art it truly was.
And now, that very Sound King had revealed himself here today.
Geom Mugeuk understood instinctively.
The reason the Sword King had come to this place—was to protect that very Sound King.
As if to confirm that intuition, the Sword King took the first step forward.
The Sword King, who seemed bound by no one, slowly walked until he stood side by side with the Sound King.
The fight had paused, but the Blade King still wore an angry expression. He didn’t bother to hide his anger from the Sound King.
However, even so, he couldn’t insist on continuing the fight.
Whether it was due to orders or sheer power, there was an unexplainable tension emanating from the Sound King at that moment.
The Blade King shot a cold glare at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon before striding forward to stand beside the Sound King.
It was the first time since Geom Mugeuk had fought against the hidden power that such a scene occurred—
the moment when three of the Twelve Zodiac Kings gathered in one place.
That alone showed how seriously the hidden power regarded today’s matter.
Even while standing between the Sword King and the Blade King, the Sound King’s presence did not falter in the slightest.
Was this what kind of man the Sound King had always been?
Even Geom Mugeuk was quietly surprised by the sheer weight of his presence.
The true central figure of this gathering was undoubtedly him.
In a place where the First King and Second King stood—today, the Tenth King played the leading role.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the Sword King.
Their eyes met in the air.
What on earth are you planning today?
And why have you come here?
Yet the Sword King simply accepted Geom Mugeuk’s gaze in silence, without sending even a word in sound transmission.
He behaved as if he were not there at all.
Geom Mugeuk actually took that as a good sign.
If the Sword King had begun making excuses, that would have been the worst outcome imaginable.
At their stance, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One-Slash Sword Supreme deliberately stepped up to stand on Geom Mugeuk’s left and right.
Their postures said it all—as if to challenge them to a fair three-on-three.
Particularly, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Blade King glared at each other with murderous intent.
The heat of their previous clash had yet to cool.
Although the Blade King had taken a cut across his waist, their battle had ended in a draw.
The Sound King turned his gaze toward where Geom Mugeuk stood, as though he could see despite his blindness.
From his empty eyes, no emotion could be read, giving off a mysterious and chilling impression.
“You must have had a long journey, Young Cult Leader.”
Contrary to his frail appearance, his voice was a clear, beautiful tone.
Even though he spoke softly, almost in a whisper, his words reached their ears vividly.
His voice alone revealed the profound depth of his inner strength.
“It was not hardship, but a pleasant journey,” Geom Mugeuk replied, glancing toward the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
“For it was a journey shared with those I deeply respect and admire.”
The Sound King immediately offered a greeting to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Just as he had to Geom Mugeuk, he was exceedingly courteous.
“I have long heard of your great name, Blood Heaven Blade Demon. It is an honor to meet you.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked into his pale gray eyes and asked,
“Can those eyes see?”
“They cannot.”
“Then how did you know where I stood?”
“Because the person with the hottest energy in this place stood right there,” the Sound King answered calmly.
His gaze then shifted toward the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
“You possess an elegant and noble energy. It is my first time meeting you, One-Slash Sword Supreme.”
Even though he had praised her, the One-Slash Sword Supreme showed no sign of delight.
In fact, her response was colder than that of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“You’ve seen wrong. How could I be elegant and noble when all I can think of is killing you people?”
Despite her blunt words, the Sound King showed not the slightest hint of offense.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon followed her words with his own.
“Enough with the honeyed speech. Tell us why you called us here.”
It was obvious that the appearance of three such powerful masters meant they had been expected.
Even the puppets that had attacked alongside Geom Mugeuk earlier made that clear—this meeting had been prepared well in advance.
The Sound King replied calmly,
“Of course, I, too, have my reasons. Just like all of you.”
His lifeless eyes turned toward the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
“And you, why have you come here?”
It sounded as though he was certain she had her own reason for being here.
He then asked the same question of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, to Danso Jin, and also to the martial artist from the Unorthodox Alliance.
None of them responded, but indeed, each had their own reason for being present.
Even Ji Han, who had become a subordinate, had a reason for following them here. Tae Soo, too, had his own.
Finally, the Sound King turned his question toward Geom Mugeuk.
“And you, Young Cult Leader—why have you come?”
Geom Mugeuk turned the question back at him.
“I was drawn here by such a beautiful melody. Even if death awaited me, how could I ignore such a tune?”
“You must be a man who loves music, Young Cult Leader.”
“I’m merely someone who knows how to kill. So perhaps this time, you can teach me something about music.”
The Sound King’s pale gray eyes silently met Geom Mugeuk’s before he turned around.
“Please, all of you, come into this chamber for a while.”
He walked back toward the place from which he had emerged.
Following behind him were the Sword King, the Blade King, the Dark Blood Four Blades, and the Iron-Masked Man.
Geom Mugeuk glanced at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
Since the other side clearly held the initiative, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
The two Demon Supremes nodded.
They understood exactly what his look meant—Be cautious, and be even more cautious.
Geom Mugeuk’s group, along with Danso Jin and the Unorthodox Alliance martial artists, followed the Sound King into the room.
Inside was a vast space, almost like a plaza, littered with shattered blades and broken weapons.
Scattered around were more than a dozen sets of white bones.
Traces of a fierce battle.
Some skeletons lay collapsed on the floor; others were entwined together, swords still embedded in each other’s bodies.
One skeleton rested alone against the wall.
At the center of it all stood a coffin.
A surge of emotion flashed across Tae Soo’s face.
‘Here it is!’
They had finally reached the Sword Tomb.
He had risked his life, diving into the bloody struggle for the Treasure Map, all to reach this place.
Indeed, it was only after meeting the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Demon Supremes that they had finally arrived at this place.
Others might have had their own reasons, but as for him—a thief—he had come here for one thing only: to obtain the treasures hidden within this place.
He wanted to examine the swords clasped in those skeletal hands that instant, to rush forward and pry open that coffin to see what lay inside.
Of course, those people must have already opened it.
Even knowing that nothing might remain inside, he still wanted to open it himself.
The Sound King spoke to Geom Mugeuk.
“This is the Sword Tomb recorded on the Treasure Map.”
“It feels quite different from what I imagined. I expected something far more grand and magnificent.”
“We have not touched anything inside this chamber.”
Whether those words were trustworthy or not, he couldn’t tell.
“Do you not wish to know what lies within that coffin?”
“Even so, one cannot disgrace the deceased.”
The Sound King answered as though he truly hadn’t opened anything.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk noticed the One-Slash Sword Supreme gazing intently at one of the skeletons.
It was a skeleton kneeling with one hand resting upon its sword, and the look in her eyes as she stared at it was far from ordinary.
Geom Mugeuk approached her and asked,
“Do you know this person?”
The One-Slash Sword Supreme slowly nodded.
“The sword that one holds is Danmok. That person is my maternal uncle. When I was a child, he would sometimes visit and play with me. The last time I saw him before he went missing, he spoke of the Treasure Map.”
Now it was clear—the reason the One-Slash Sword Supreme had wanted to come to the Sword Tomb.
She must have thought her uncle might have come here.
“I came with only a faint hope… and he was truly here.”
Geom Mugeuk understood then.
The hidden power had used this Sword Tomb to draw him in.
Had he not left the cult with her, they would have detained her alone upon her arrival and sent word to him.
One way or another, they would have ensured his presence here.
Just then, Danso Jin sent a sound transmission to Geom Mugeuk.
—There are poisonous insects hidden within that corpse.
Even the corpse that held special meaning to the One-Slash Sword Supreme had been trapped with poison.
After poisoning him with the Violet Cloud True Qi Poison during the earlier gate passage, now they had prepared this skeleton to poison the One-Slash Sword Supreme next.
It was likely that they had planned to let the Blood Heaven Blade Demon die at the hands of the Blade King in the previous battle.
They simply hadn’t realized how powerful the Blood Heaven Blade Demon truly was, and the plan had failed.
Geom Mugeuk immediately sent a sound transmission to Ji Han.
Following his instructions, Ji Han spoke aloud.
“There’s a smell coming from that corpse.”
“What kind of smell?”
“It smells like insects.”
He had used Ji Han’s keen sense of smell as an excuse, concealing the information Danso Jin had provided.
Geom Mugeuk rummaged through his pouch and took out a small container and a pair of chopsticks.
“May I have your permission for a moment?”
He asked the One-Slash Sword Supreme for consent.
From the look in his eyes and the tone of his words, she could tell something was wrong, so she readily nodded.
Geom Mugeuk bowed respectfully toward the skeletal remains.
“I am Geom Mugeuk, Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I hold the One-Slash Sword Supreme, your blood relative, in the utmost respect.”
He gave a solemn bow to the remains.
“For the safety of the Sword Supreme, I will briefly examine you.”
As Geom Mugeuk carefully began inspecting the corpse—
Whoosh!
Something shot toward him.
It moved so quickly it was barely visible to the eye.
Snap!
Of course, Geom Mugeuk, already prepared, caught it instantly.
Between the chopsticks wriggled a venomous insect with countless legs, resembling a centipede.
Geom Mugeuk immediately recognized the creature, one that was closer to a spiritual beast than a mere insect.
“The Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede. I wonder where they managed to capture such a rare thing.”
The Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede was a deadly creature that parasitized corpses and carried a poison strong enough to instantly kill even skilled masters.
A martial artist like the One-Slash Sword Supreme might survive, but she would have to suppress the venom in one part of her body, preventing her from exerting her full strength.
Had he not possessed immunity to all poisons, the Violet Cloud True Qi Poison earlier might have affected him as well.
And this Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede would have seemed like a mere accident—allowing their enemies to seize control of the situation unnoticed.
Geom Mugeuk placed the creature into the container he had taken from his pouch and tightly sealed the lid.
“Our Poison King will be most pleased with this.”
He had, in fact, prepared the chopsticks and container specifically to gift such things to the Poison King.
And since this insect had been meant for the One-Slash Sword Supreme, it must have been a rare and precious one indeed.
He had obtained something far more valuable than he had expected.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon sneered at the Sound King.
“You said this room hadn’t been touched?”
The One-Slash Sword Supreme turned a cold gaze toward the Sound King.
Her anger was only natural—this trap had been meant for her, and her uncle’s remains had been desecrated.
The Sound King’s expression stiffened slightly before his gaze shifted toward the Iron-Masked Man.
The Iron-Masked Man answered calmly,
“I only did the task assigned to me.”
At least it was clear that the Sound King had not been the one to order it.
Geom Mugeuk’s face hardened slightly.
That was even worse—because it meant the Sound King was confident he could win without resorting to poison.
The One-Slash Sword Supreme slowly walked forward, bowed deeply, and gazed upon the skeletal remains.
When she had left the cult, she hadn’t given it much thought—but now that she had truly found her uncle’s bones, her heart ached faintly.
“Uncle, I will take you with me now.”
Geom Mugeuk retrieved a leather pouch from his pack, one suitable for carrying the remains.
Truly, his pouch seemed to hold all manner of things imaginable.
“I will help you.”
Geom Mugeuk began gathering the remains alongside her.
Seeing this, the Blade King almost stepped forward, ready to scold them for wasting time on such a trivial act at a critical moment.
But then, he suddenly felt someone’s gaze upon him.
The one staring at him was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
With an expression that said do not interfere, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon gave a small shake of his head.
There was no emotion in his eyes—but that lack of feeling made the Blade King’s heart freeze.
It was colder than any gaze he had ever faced during their earlier fight.
The Sound King had said that the one with the hottest energy here was the Blade King?
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
At that moment, the Blade King realized:
‘This man’s darkness runs deeper than mine.’
The Sound King silently watched as the two gathered the remains.
Beside him, the Sword King quietly observed Geom Mugeuk without saying a word.
When Geom Mugeuk finished collecting the bones, he hung the leather pouch beside his pack.
“Please endure this discomfort for a while.”
He had gathered the remains in advance because he did not know what might happen next.
If a fierce battle broke out, the cave could collapse at any moment.
As he watched, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon suddenly spoke.
“You did well bringing that pouch.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled.
“So you finally acknowledge it!”
The Sound King, who had patiently waited for them to finish gathering the remains, turned to Geom Mugeuk and asked,
“Do you know where we are right now?”
Geom Mugeuk answered with knowledge he had heard from Tae Soo—something few in the world knew.
“Isn’t this the tomb of Joo Ga-shin, the greatest unorthodox master of three hundred years ago and the former leader of the Unorthodox Alliance?”
But the Sound King shook his head, revealing something truly astonishing.
“All past leaders of the Unorthodox Alliance are buried together in one place.”
Everyone who heard him was taken aback.
Even Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Supremes had never heard such a thing before.
“No one in the martial world knows its location—not even the Alliance Leader himself knows where he will be buried. Only the family known as the Baekchong Family, who have guarded and tended the graves for generations, know the exact place.”
The Sound King’s pale eyes turned toward Danso Jin.
“Is that not so, Patriarch of the Baekchong Family, Danso Jin?”