Chapter 168

Hyeonjin, a master of the Entry-Spirit Stage, was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} a member of Baekryeongak and served as Yeon Chuha’s protector.

Dongu was the 12th Division Captain of the Cheonsnow Thirteen, the elite martial force of Cheonsnow Sect, which was the maternal-side sect of Snow Palace.

And lastly—Yang Geon, a Mythic Realm martial artist, was affiliated with the White Snow Shadow Guard.

Among them, Yang Geon was particularly noteworthy: a man known as Seol Horyeong’s shadow.

After Seol Horyeong reached the Entry-Spirit Stage, he saw through Yang Geon’s presence, and only then was the man’s affiliation revealed.

More importantly, when Seol Horyeong announced he would enter the secret realm, it was Yang Geon who uncharacteristically volunteered to accompany him.

Seol Horyeong was extremely satisfied by that.

And it was no wonder.

Yang Geon, silent and loyal, had never left Seol Horyeong’s side since childhood—not even once.

“Hahaha... So this is the entrance to the secret realm?”

At Seol Horyeong’s words, everyone except for Unhwi and Seo Hyo nodded their heads.

It was rather unusual.

They were all thoroughly ignoring Unhwi.

But despite their dismissiveness, Unhwi’s eyes remained cool and clear in that very moment.

The discovery of this secret realm had first been made by the Pavilion Lord of Baekryeongak.

Baekryeongak was one of the Three Pavilions of Snow Palace, a sub-organization of Everlasting Snow Palace. About four days ago, one of their members was surveying Hanbing Valley when they sensed a disturbance in the celestial energy—a known sign of an emerging secret realm. They reported it to the Pavilion Lord, who then informed Seol Horyeong.

It might have seemed sloppy or simplistic—but what mattered was the result.

And the Celestial Compass was clearly reacting.

This was a real secret realm.

Its known grade: Divine-Level 3.

Normally, Seol Horyeong could’ve entered a realm of this level alone.

But curiously, many around him tried to stop him.

Because of the terrain’s location, people argued that even for a Divine-Level 3 secret realm, it was too dangerous to go in alone. So a few were selected to accompany him—and those few were now gathered here.

Yeon Chuha, the White Lotus Emissary. Heavenly-Human Realm.

Hyeonjin, the Flash-Lightning Sword Hand. Entry-Spirit Stage.

Dongu, the White Snow Warrior. Entry-Spirit Stage.

And Yang Geon, Mythic Realm.

By all standards, this was an elite team.

If all of them supported Seol Horyeong, any secret realm could be cleared.

But conversely, if their intent shifted...

They could erase someone without a trace.

Unhwi recalled his memory.

As far as he remembered, there had only been three people who entered this realm with Seol Horyeong.

Yeon Chuha, Hyeonjin, and Yang Geon.

All three went in—and none came back out.

But now Dongu of Cheonsnow Sect had been added.

Unhwi quietly touched his chin.

Back then, Seol Horyeong hadn’t yet reached the Entry-Spirit Stage, so he’d expected some things to change in this life. But of all people, why Cheonsnow Sect?

For now, he let it be.

Unhwi shifted his gaze.

Before them stood a massive wall of ice—so pristine and transparent it resembled a mirror.

And soon, a shimmer began to ripple across its surface.

The entrance.

Dongu, captain of the 12th unit of Cheonsnow Thirteen, stepped forward and spoke.

“Lord Daeseollin. Just in case, I’ll go in first.”

Without delay, Dongu stepped into the secret realm.

The others followed behind him.

Seol Horyeong went in as well.

Only Unhwi and Seo Hyo remained.

“It’s not too late to turn back,” Seo Hyo said.

Unhwi turned his head.

“Does it look like that to you?”

“...Yes.”

“You’re more timid than I thought.”

“...You’re the one who’s reckless, Young Lord.”

“Seo Hyo.”

“Yes.”

“If you want something from me, then once we’re inside, follow my orders completely. Can you do that?”

“...Of course. And, I remind you—it’s Seoha, not Seo Hyo. You introduced me that way to the others, remember? Why switch now?”

“Because it’s just the two of us right now.”

Unhwi smiled faintly, then walked forward.

Seo Hyo sighed, then followed.

Both stepped into the secret realm.

***

The moment we entered the realm.

I forgot everything and felt pure awe.

For that brief moment, even the question of why no survivors had ever come out of this place vanished from my mind.

Before me stretched a blue sky, clouds, and an endless ocean.

It felt as if we were standing on the sky itself.

It was breathtaking.

I turned around.

“What is this place...?”

The voice didn’t come from me.

It came from Seo Hyo.

That was right.

Even I had been stunned into silence.

Above us stretched the boundless sky and sea—but amid them, the outline of a massive temple began to appear.

A temple surrounded by clouds.

More precisely, a temple seemingly built on a foundation of clouds.

I had never seen anything like it in my life.

“...A temple floating in the sky...”

“That vision you saw—didn’t it show this?”

“I did see a temple in the clouds... but I never imagined it was floating.”

I let it go.

But right now, Seo Hyo’s expression was bad.

He couldn’t admire it the way I could. That was the truth.

“...I can’t move my internal energy.”

It wasn’t just internal energy.

“...Even natural qi—no, all qi, in general, has stopped moving.”

I’d felt it the moment I entered.

The countless flows of qi that resided in my body had completely stopped.

Not just my inner energy—but even the faintest resonance of hidden qi.

Yes.

In this place, qi simply didn’t exist.

I thought perhaps innate true qi might still function—but I already knew the answer to that.

This was why none of them could admire the view purely.

I said to Seo Hyo:

“Calm yourself.”

“...Young Lord... does this look like a time to be calm?”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to calm down.”

“...”

“Seoha.”

“...Yes, Young Lord.”

“Do you not trust yourself?”

Seo Hyo’s eyes widened.

“Is your identity built on martial arts?”

“...That’s...”

“Then is it built on internal energy? On nature?”

“...No.”

“Exactly. You must have your own dream. Your own philosophy. Your own path that shapes who you are. Remember this. Before you are a martial artist—you are a person.”

Seo Hyo stared blankly at me.

“The fact that a place like this has such a mechanism—it means, inversely, that it holds worthy rewards.”

“...Aren’t you afraid?”

“Should I be?”

“Don’t you see the others? They’re all freaking out.”

“To be precise—all but one are freaking out.”

That one was, of course, my eldest brother.

While others clustered together whispering, Seol Horyeong had a smile on his face.

He walked over and clapped me on the shoulder.

“Hahahaha. Maknae, you scared?”

“Not at all.”

“Right? No reason to be. I’m right here with you. Yeah?”

His laugh was warmer than I expected.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll make sure you don’t die.”

I smiled.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary. And...”

His gaze shifted to Seo Hyo.

“I don’t know much about you, but I can tell what kind of man you are. So don’t leave my brother’s side. Got it?”

“...Yes.”

“If you do... well, let’s just say you’ll pay for laying a hand on my coachman. Let’s not make this ugly. Alright?”

“Understood, Lord Daeseollin.”

As Seol Horyeong turned to go, I grabbed his shoulder.

“Hm? What is it?”

I leaned in and whispered.

“More than the realm—you need to watch out for the people.”

“...What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“...”

“Sharpen every sense. Remember. The thing more dangerous than a secret realm—is a person.”

A faint smile tugged at Seol Horyeong’s lips.

He wasn’t stupid.

Immediately, he shouted out.

“Anyone bring food? Of course not, you little brat.”

Those watching from behind gave awkward chuckles.

“Looks like we can’t even use travel kits in here. Let’s hurry through this and go grill some meat. Sound good?”

“Yes... sorry to trouble you.”

“Trouble, my ass. Come on.”

Seol Horyeong turned and took the lead.

He was definitely quick-witted.

“...You’re quite the actor,” Seo Hyo muttered beside me.

I didn’t bother replying.

This was a secret realm I had never seen or heard of. And if Seol Horyeong was the only trustworthy one here, then striking first would be idiocy.

Let them be.

You never knew what might happen inside a secret realm.

“Alright, let’s head up.”

At Seol Horyeong’s voice, everyone began to walk.

But they didn’t get more than five steps.

Seol Horyeong made a puzzled face.

“...Right, we can’t use internal energy. How the hell do we climb up there?”

I said quietly,

“There’s a path.”

“A path?”

Everyone turned to look at me.

I raised my index finger and pointed.

“Beneath the temple. You see that area where the white clouds are thickest?”

“Yeah, I see it.”

“There’s a bridge—looks like it’s carved from white jade.”

“...Oh... you’re right!”

“We should be able to reach it that way.”

“...Our maknae’s got sharp eyes, huh?”

I only smiled.

The four men standing near Seol Horyeong stared at me as if surprised, then began to move.

Seo Hyo asked quietly,

“...How did you see that? Even I couldn’t.”

“Just because qi is blocked doesn’t mean I can’t read.”

“...”

“Can’t you feel the energy concentrated there?”

“...No, I can’t.”

“Then it seems your training is lacking.”

Seo Hyo let out an exasperated chuckle.

“...You’re the strange one. To sense qi better than someone in the Heavenly-Human Realm... no one would believe that even if I told them.”

“Does other people’s opinion matter?”

“...”

“If you believe in yourself, that’s enough.”

Leaving Seo Hyo behind with a stunned face, I walked ahead.

A temple wrapped in clouds.

Anyone could tell—it was Shaolin.

The legendary pillar of the Primordial Era.

Though the Millennium Calamity’s main villain was the Blood Demon Sect, the Shaolin Temple was just as famous.

Shaolin was the backbone of the Martial Alliance—and its Abbot had once been the Alliance Lord.

I was deeply curious about this secret realm.

Divine-Level 3?

No.

This was no realm of such a petty grade.

If anything—

It stood far above even Martial God–Grade.