Chapter 146: A Lantern In The Darkness (1)
White Lotus Moss looked just like a rice cake covered in white snow.
At least, thats what Yi-gang thought.
It looks like a snow-covered field, but smaller.
So Woon, admiring it, seemed to have a similar thought.
If the Five Elements Divine Lord had enough to scatter something this precious, he must have been quite wealthy.
This must be at least 200 years old.
The Five Elements Tomb was created even before that, wasnt it?
Tang Eun-seol nodded in response to Moyong Jins question.
When it was first made, it probably wasnt such a precious elixir. It was made into one over time, borrowing the power of time. Designed to gather the energy of the earth here.
Ah
Yi-gang, hearing Tang Eun-seols words, recalled the Spirit Spring Valley of the Azure Forest. The Azure Forest used the Spirit Spring Valley to grow elixirs.
The designer of the Five Elements Tomb used a similar method.
First, lets divide it into four parts.
Yi-gang carefully took a small blade and divided the White Lotus Moss into four pieces.
It was a smooth, white moss, but not every part was uniform.
Some parts shone a particularly bright white, while others were slightly faded, as if withered.
The issue was who would take which piece.
They looked at each other. Surprisingly, two of them quickly came to an agreement.
Since Brother devised this, shouldnt he take the clearest, most vibrant piece?
Especially since hes not in good health.
So Woon and Moyong Jin said this.
Yi-gang looked at them with an expression of admiration.
However, Yi-gang shook his head.
It seems right to give it to Young Lady Tang.
Me?
Tang Eun-seol tilted her head in confusion.
Its not quite an equal exchange for the fragrance pouch. But we did benefit from your help.
Ah, that.
Moyong Jin and So Woon did not object.
They looked surprised that Yi-gang was willing to give away the best part of the elixir.
Tang Eun-seol remained silent with an indecipherable expression.
Then, she nodded her head.
Okay. But before that
She took out a red medicine bottle from her pocket.
Then, she sprinkled something inside it onto the White Lotus Moss using a small silver spoon.
Its poison.
What?
Just kidding, its the Silver Serenity Herb I obtained before.
It was a rather humorless joke, something only a person from the Tang Clan could make.
Silver Serenity Herb. Thats a precious herb, isnt it.
Like most moss-type elixirs, White Lotus Moss also has a yin nature. Eating them together neutralizes the Yin energy, which should be helpful.
Tang Eun-seol was adding her own precious herbs to it.
Yi-gang smiled and picked up a piece of the moss.
Lets absorb the elixir while circulating our energy for a while.
Yes!
The group each took a piece of the White Lotus Moss.
Yi-gang also tore off a palm-sized piece of White Lotus Moss and put it in his mouth.
It had a fascinating texture. As soon as he put it in his mouth, it melted smoothly, feeling like eating clouds.
A clear fragrance burst in his nose, making his esophagus feel hot and cold, like having a very strong chilled drink.
Most excellent elixirs were like this.
Umm!
The power of the elixir writhing in his stomach was more intense than he had expected.
Yi-gang realized that White Lotus Moss was more remarkable than he had anticipated.
He quickly leaned against the wall and sat in a cross-legged position. To convert the elixir into Qi, he had to practice energy circulation.
So Woon and Moyong Jin also hurriedly found places to sit.
However, Tang Eun-seol was not in a rush and still held the White Lotus Moss.
She came between Yi-gang and Moyong Jin and crouched down.
Why is she doing that?
Who knows.
As Tang Eun-seol stared at Yi-gang, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon exclaimed in surprise.
Wasnt it true that she poisoned it earlier? To harm you and the kids all at once.
Why would she poison it?
Indeed, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was known for her distrust of people, even more than Dam Hyun.
Finally, Tang Eun-seol bit into the White Lotus Moss and said, When White Lotus Mosss efficacy peaks, its color fades to yellow.
You knew that and still said it wasnt so, right?
The part Yi-gang ate was the piece that had turned yellow.
Although it wasnt intentional, Tang Eun-seol looked at Yi-gang suspiciously.
Yi-gang wanted to explain, but he couldnt as he was in the middle of performing the energy circulation posture.
In fact, I was so annoyed that I added poison.
Of course, thats a joke.
Tang Eun-seol stuffed the White Lotus Moss she was holding into her mouth in one go.
I sprinkled the precious Silver Serenity Herb on it because I thought you guys werent all that bad.
After saying this, Tang Eun-seol sat down in the corner of the room and assumed a cross-legged position to absorb the effects of the White Lotus Moss.
Were you a bit scared?
No.
Really?
Yes.
He was a little tense, admittedly.
But Yi-gang, regardless of his trust in Tang Eun-seol, was not someone to be easily fooled.
Among the many things Yu Jeong-shin had taught him was also knowledge about poisons.
He was confident he wouldnt be affected unless Tang Eun-seol really turned hostile and used one of the Eight Extreme Poisons.
Above all, he felt no hostility from her.
It was just a little, a very slight tension.
Ugh
Sigh!
But then, those strange sounds came from beside him.
So Woon and Moyong Jin were much more startled than Yi-gang.
Hey, those guys almost got themselves into Qi deviation.
So Woon and Moyong Jin were sweating and trying to control their Qi.
It was a close call that could have resulted in two successors getting internal injuries.
Without even using poison, she managed to intoxicate them. The Tang Clans dream of formless poison has finally come to fruition.
Be quiet, will you.
Yi-gang was also desperately calming his mind to avoid falling into Qi deviation.
It took a full two hours to absorb the medicinal effects of the White Lotus Moss.
They had entered the Five Elements Tomb in the morning, but now it must be deep into the night.
The moon must be brightly shining outside. However, they couldnt tell the passage of time from within.
We definitely entered first.
But now were not in the lead, are we?
Moyong Jin and So Woons faces glowed with radiance.
Their walking posture was energized, and smiles were on their lips.
It was natural. They had gained the opportunity of an elixir just a day after entering the Five Elements Tomb.
Tang Eun-seol and Yi-gang following behind were no different.
Their skin was as smooth as if it had been coated with honey.
It feels like were going around in circles.
Doesnt it?
We must have already walked dozens of li.
Its intricately intertwined. Whats certain is that weve gone deeper underground.
The slope is so gentle, its as if they dont want us to notice.
They were analyzing the Five Elements Tomb.
Tang Eun-seol focused on the mechanisms, while Yi-gang focused on the Qi Men Dun Jia.
Though they hadnt encountered anything that could be called a Qi Men formation yet, the design of the Five Elements Tomb was undoubtedly extraordinary.
We might meet other people soon.
Digging five passages of this length would have been quite burdensome.
The scale of the Five Elements Tomb was astonishing.
It was hard to imagine how the Five Elements Divine Lord, who wasnt short of money, secretly built such a large mausoleum.
Yi-gang walked in silence.
He rubbed his ears.
If I may offer some advice. There are times when you have to do energy circulation with others, right?
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon kept whispering such things in his ear.
In those cases, its better to just sit cross-legged and pretend to do energy circulation for about an hour.
Yi-gang slightly grimaced.
Because among the group, some crazy person might stand up with a sword. Its about being cautious in advance.
I wouldnt do energy circulation with such people in the first place.
Just a moment ago, he had performed energy circulation with the group to digest the elixir.
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was reprimanding Yi-gang for doing energy circulation in front of the group.
I dont do energy circulation in front of just anyone. This time, it was because they were trustworthy.
My fourteenth betrayal happened in a situation like this.
He had no response to something she had experienced herself.
Yi-gang remained silent and continued walking.
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon watched Yi-gangs profile with a smile.
Arent you afraid of close people dying?
At the Blue-Eyed Mad Demons question, Yi-gang stiffened for a moment.
Seeing the group look at him with curious eyes, he resumed walking as if nothing happened.
Who wouldnt be afraid of that?
Right. But, more terrifying than a close person dying is being killed by a close person.
Or a close person killing another close person.
Why was she talking about such things now?
If, lets say, that girl from the Tang Clan really harbored ill feelings towards the Moyong Clan and sprinkled poison
The martial world was merciless. Yi-gang knew that he couldnt completely rule out such possibilities.
What if the Azure Forest wages war against the Baek Noble Clan? Or what if that ridiculous girl from the Peng Clan and your junior, Yu Su-rin, fought each other?
Thats why he had no answer.
Want me to tell you how?
How?
Yes, how to protect yourself and your people in a battlefield entangled with blood and vicious cycles.
Hadnt the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon herself failed to do so and died?
But Yi-gang was curious.
What is it?
The only way is
The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon couldnt finish her sentence.
It was because the entire group sensed someones presence.
Whats this? Moyong Jin muttered.
There were not just one or two people ahead.
The murmuring voices reached them.
Yi-gang and his group heightened their guard and walked forward.
Soon, a not-so-large space appeared.
More than twenty people were gathered there. They all looked like martial artists in disheveled states, having gone through hardships.
Their gazes turned towards Yi-gang and his group in the hexagonal space.
Brother!
Senior!
Ha-jun and Yu Su-rin came running.
Yu Su-rin was wet, and Ha-juns sleeves were singed black.
Are we the last ones to arrive?
Yes, Senior, you entered through the Wood passage, right?
Thats right.
Yu Su-rin explained what they had experienced.
It seemed that the exploration teams that entered through the Water and Earth passages had joined in the middle, and those who entered through the Fire and Metal passages also seemed to have done the same.
We had it easy then.
Yi-gang hadnt gone through the hardships like Yu Su-rin, who had to go against strong underground currents, or like Ha-jun, who dodged heated iron balls.
There are twenty-six of us.
Four people didnt make it.
Apparently, two had died, and two others were injured and left behind.
Ha-jun explained, All the passages eventually led here, but the door just wouldnt open. Weve all been waiting.
The huge iron door ahead didnt budge, as if it required everyone to gather.
So thats why they were all looking at us.
The mood among the martial artists wasnt bad.
They were still hopeful about finding the treasure of the Five Elements Divine Lord.
But the iron door still remained shut.
Yi-gang raised his head and surveyed the interior.
Night luminous pearls are embedded here.
Although some people were holding torches, night luminous pearls were embedded in the room.
Such precious pearls wouldnt be placed just anywhere, so this must be a space of significance.
If there was a unique feature to note, it might be that the ceiling was lower than expected.
Then, Tang Eun-seol approached Yi-gang.
Look over there.
Is that a mechanism?
On the ceiling, there were lines that one could easily miss if not observed closely.
Before they could figure out the nature of the mechanism, something happened.
Grrr-grrr
Th-the ceiling is opening! someone shouted out.
At the same time, the passages through which the martial artists had entered also began to close with a thud.
Could it be that hidden weapons or traps were about to pour down from the ceiling?
The martial artists, tense and looking up, were all frozen in shock.
Surprisingly, the opened ceiling was so high that its end was not visible.
What astonished the people was not the height of the ceiling.
It was the spikes protruding from the walls and the objects placed on them.
Those are
Secret manuals, jewels Whoa!
The items, shining under the light of the night luminous pearls, were obviously treasures.
The Cats Eye Jewel, said to be valuable enough to buy a whole mansion with just one.
Bundles of bamboo slips, possibly containing unknown martial arts techniques.
Mysterious wooden boxes and treasures, including gold and ornate jewelry.
It seemed like a space where all the treasures of the world were gathered.
Wow!
Lets go up!
The martial artists cheered.
Was this the unveiling of the treasures of the Five Elements Tomb?
However, some people still maintained their composure.
Yi-gang was one of them.
He was still examining the night luminous pearls.
Are these really night luminous pearls?
Night luminous pearls were a type of crystal that emitted light on their own.
However, their light was usually not very bright, but the pearls embedded in the walls here were unusually bright and had a reddish hue.
Thud.
A cold droplet of water touched Yi-gangs cheek.
Upon touching it, it was just ordinary water.
The droplet had fallen from the ceiling.
Whoosh
It was like a downpour of rain, with water pouring down from above.
Those who thought it might be drops of poison sighed in relief.
There was no harm done. The torches went out all at once, but the room remained bright.
However, Yi-gang felt a sharp sense of unease at that moment.
Yi-gang looked around.
The group that had been gathered until a moment ago had dispersed when the ceiling opened.
Wait
Just as Yi-gang was about to call them together.
The night luminous pearls suddenly went out, and darkness enveloped the room.
It was as if everyone had closed their eyes tightly, in this place devoid of even a speck of light, even the martial artists became as blind as bats.
A chilling silence passed in an instant.
Flicker
The night luminous pearls lit up again. The darkness had lasted only long enough to count to three.
What on earth
Get the fire starters out!
But the fire starters had also gotten wet from the water that had poured down.
Just as people felt relieved by the return of light, darkness descended once again.
Flicker
This time, the darkness lasted until the count of five.
When it brightened again, people started to become wary of each other.
Someone with keen eyesight noticed a change.
The Cats Eye Jewel is gone!
The Cats Eye Jewel, which had been at the very bottom and close by, had disappeared.
The martial artists expressed their annoyance.
I dont know who did it, but stealing items in such a cowardly way!
Damn, I should also grab something for myself.
Dont touch the items! Lets distribute them fairly
Who are you to say that!
Tension built up among the martial artists, their nerves on edge.
The problem was, the darkness returned.
Flicker
This time, a scream erupted.
Aaaah!
It was a bone-chilling scream.
Someone felt hot blood splatter on their face.
Wh-what madman did this!
Clang!
Swords clashed, sending sparks flying.
That brief light illuminated the bloodshot eyes of the people around.
Despite counting to five this time, the lights did not come back on.
Aaaaah!
Ack!
Screams and shouts erupted one after another.
In the darkness, Yi-gang too drew his meteorite sword.
Clang!
He deflected a blade that came flying from somewhere.
He felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
Could the conversation he had just had with the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon be coming true?
Aaaah!
Yu Su-rins scream could be heard from afar.
Ha-juns battle cry. The sound of Moyong Jin steadying his breath.
Flicker.
In the underground, where darkness and light alternated, blood began to flow.
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