Chapter 177 : A Fake Life

“Aaaargh!”

Starting with Cha Seol’s scream, the villagers who heard it began to scream as if in resonance.

They screamed as if in agony, spewing blood from their seven orifices.

It was a situation where everyone could die if it continued.

Jin Sohyun shouted.

“Miss Cheon! Hurry and get Seol…!”

Cheon Yerang, who had nodded her head, picked up Cha Seol in both arms and threw her body.

“Is it useless?”

Even though Cheon Yerang had left the place with Cha Seol, the screams continued.

Their screams were so desperate that blood even flowed from Jin Sohyun’s eardrums as he listened.

‘How do I stop this…’

Jin Sohyun, who was contemplating, brought his hand to his waist.

What his fingertips touched was Oh Yoran’s gift.

It was the Black Snow Flute.

‘If the Soul Seduction Art and the Sound Art have a similar texture… it might be possible.’

Jin Sohyun took out the Black Snow Flute and began to blow into it, imbuing it with his internal energy.

At that, a terrible, monstrous sound disguised as music echoed.

“Ugh… ugh?”

“Uuuuugh!”

“Kyaaaah!”

The residents, who had been screaming in empathy with Cha Seol’s pain, covered their two ears with both hands with complicated expressions.

But just by covering their ears with their hands, they couldn't ignore the performance that Jin Sohyun had started with determination.

The performance that had started once continued until the residents foamed at the mouth and fainted.

“Ugh… ugh!”

And finally.

With the last resident falling, all the residents of Nakhyang collapsed and fainted on the spot.

“Phew…!”

Jin Sohyun, who had finished his performance, wiped the sweat flowing from his forehead and lifted the fallen Gu Yong.

In the meantime, Cheon Yerang, who was going to find Gu Jucheol and Cha Yong, stopped in her tracks and looked back.

“This sound is…”

It was a sound she had heard once before.

It was so long ago that it was buried in her memory.

“Haak!”

Cheon Yerang, who was standing still and listening to the performance, came to her senses at the groan of Cha Seol in her arms and threw her body again.

And so, Cheon Yerang, who had arrived at Cha Yong’s house, opened the door and ran into the basement.

There, Gu Jucheol and Cha Yong were in a standoff.

“Cheon Yerang? What’s wrong?”

“There’s a problem.”

“Seol?”

At the sight of Cha Seol, who was in pain in Cheon Yerang’s arms, Cha Yong spewed a fierce anger she had never shown before and said in a desolate voice.

“What did you do to my granddaughter.”

A flame of anger flickered in Cha Yong’s eyes.

“How dare you…!”

***

“Rest here for a moment.”

Jin Sohyun put Gu Yong in an empty house and quickly ran to Cha Yong’s house.

Jin Sohyun, who had entered through the open door, hurriedly went down to the basement at the faint groaning sound coming from below.

There, surprisingly, Gu Jucheol and Cheon Yerang were kneeling on one knee with distorted expressions.

“Jin… Sohyun…!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Be… careful… the opponent… is a master… of the Soul Seduction Art!”

“You!”

Before Gu Jucheol’s warning could end, Cha Yong’s angry voice came as if piercing Jin Sohyun.

At the same time, a pain as if his head would break was felt.

“Ugh!”

Jin Sohyun, who was clutching his head, met Cha Yong’s gaze.

“To threaten my one and only granddaughter! How… how did I protect that child!”

“It’s a misunderstanding… it is.”

“A misunderstanding? Nonsense! Do you think I don’t know the reason you came here? Just as you did in the Righteous-Heretic Great War, you’re planning to use Seol in the war you’re waging to take care of your own interests!!”

“That’s… not… it.”

Jin Sohyun slowly uttered one letter at a time, enduring the pain.

“I have no… intention… of using Seol.”

“Then! Why did Seol become like this! Why! Why is this child in pain!!”

“That is…”

Jin Sohyun also didn't know.

It was something that had happened suddenly, and there was no way to know the reason.

“I’m sick and tired of it now.”

Cha Yong came right up to Jin Sohyun and said.

“Look at my eyes.”

“No… you can’t. Jin Sohyun… never look at that person’s eyes…”

“Shut up.”

Cha Yong reached out, grabbed Jin Sohyun’s face, and brought their faces together.

“Look at me. Jin Sohyun.”

Jin Sohyun met Cha Yong’s two eyes.

“What do you see.”

“No… you can’t…”

As Gu Jucheol was about to stand up from his seat, Cha Yong said in an emotionless voice.

“Wait. Gu Jucheol.”

At her one word, Gu Jucheol felt his whole body freeze.

His voice also wouldn't come out.

‘It’s my mistake. To be careless against the Demon-Subduing Ghost!’

The situation had become like this all because of his mistake.

Even though he knew that Cha Yong’s Soul Seduction Art was extremely dangerous, he had been captivated by her gaze.

The moment he met her eyes, Cha Yong’s Great Luo Soul Capturing Art was activated.

The Soul Seduction Art was difficult to work on a strong person like Gu Jucheol, but the problem was that Ok Myeon was in her grasp.

The moment Gu Jucheol’s heart had a gap, with Ok Myeon’s life as a hostage.

Cha Yong had planted a seed in Gu Jucheol’s heart.

The seed grew quickly and took root in Gu Jucheol’s heart, and it bound him.

Thanks to that, Gu Jucheol had to move according to Cha Yong’s call, regardless of his own will.

“Now, look at me. What do you see. Jin Sohyun.”

At Cha Yong’s continuing question, Jin Sohyun looked deep into Cha Yong’s two eyes.

What he saw there was.

“Cha Seol.”

“What?”

A blue light flashed strongly from Jin Sohyun’s two eyes.

“Aaargh!”

Cha Yong staggered, feeling a strong headache.

‘Rebound ki!?’

Rather, the one who had been hit in the mind was Cha Yong.

Cha Yong, whose ki and blood flow were twisted, vomited blood from her mouth.

“Ugh!”

Cha Yong, who had vomited a handful of blood, glared at Jin Sohyun with wide eyes as if she had realized something.

“You, you… what are you! What is your identity!”

This was the first time she had seen such a person.

Anyone would build a wall in their heart to protect themselves.

It could be said to be a kind of defense mechanism to protect oneself.

But Jin Sohyun was different.

There was no wall in his heart.

A clear mirror and still water.

Jin Sohyun’s heart, which resembled a quiet lake, was like a mirror.

And Cha Yong, who was trying to look into it, faced herself there.

The moment she looked at herself, whom she had hidden and ignored, blood flowed from Cha Yong’s two eyes.

In front of such a Cha Yong, Jin Sohyun said softly.

“You’re afraid that Seol will find out the truth, right?”

“What did you say?”

“This village… it’s a village you made to protect Seol. You captured martial artists with the Soul Seduction Art and made them residents of this place.”

“I… I…!”

“So that Seol could live a fake life.”

“What do you know to be spouting such nonsense!!”

“That’s right. I don’t know. So ask her yourself.”

“What do you mean, ask?”

Jin Sohyun pointed behind Cha Yong instead of answering.

Cha Yong, who had turned her back with trembling eyes at his gesture, came face to face with Cha Seol there.

“S-Seol… when… did you wake up.”

“Grandmother.”

“Hmm?”

Cha Seol asked.

“Have I been living a fake life until now?”

“No. That can’t be. A-a fake life… that’s ridiculous…”

“Grandmother.”

Cha Seol reached out and held Cha Yong’s face with both hands.

And she said, looking deep into her two eyes.

“Please tell me the truth.”

Cha Yong, who felt her mind going blank, realized that her granddaughter, Cha Seol, had unfolded the Great Luo Soul Capturing Art.

And then.

From Cha Yong’s mouth, regardless of her will.

The secrets and truths of over a decade leaked out.

***

The starting point of everything was the Righteous-Heretic Great War.

The Martial Alliance and the Ming Cult.

The great war for the future of the righteous and heretic paths had a fierce battle without a single concession.

Countless martial artists lost their lives, and numerous sects were destroyed.

—We have to end the war as soon as possible!

—What is the Beggars' Sect doing!? Without grasping the Ming Cult’s movements right now!

The Martial Alliance was in a hurry.

The great army of the Ming Cult, which had left the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, was getting closer to the Central Plains with each passing day, and the Ming Cult’s special forces were interfering with or cutting off the Martial Alliance’s reinforcements and supplies.

As the first line of defense collapsed, the defensive line that the Martial Alliance had painstakingly built was easily broken, to the point where the name of the Martial Alliance was put to shame.

It was a truly desperate situation.

But the heavens did not abandon the Martial Alliance.

They had succeeded in capturing the Ming Cult’s special forces.

At this, the Martial Alliance had searched for masters of the Soul Seduction Art to find out the Ming Cult’s information, and so.

The Demon-Subduing Ghost was born.

“The war ended with the victory of the Martial Alliance and the righteous martial world. But… I… instead of tasting the sweet taste of victory, I had to watch my children die.”

The war was won.

But as the price of victory, Cha Yong had to lose her child.

Her one and only daughter had been killed by the remnants of the Ming Cult.

Nevertheless, the heavens did not completely abandon Cha Yong.

Her daughter had succeeded in hiding her own daughter right before she died.

“I held my granddaughter, who was like a lump of blood, in my arms and made a decision. That this hellish martial world… would never touch my bloodline again.”

For this, Cha Yong had built a village and had become the village chief herself.

The residents were filled with martial artists with outstanding skills.

Their role was as villagers and Cha Seol’s guardians.

And as a friend for the lonely Cha Seol.

“Then until now… I…”

Cha Seol’s voice trembled slightly.

“Seol! Listen to this grandmother carefully. This world is not a kind place for people like us. That’s why I…”

“For how long… have you been… playing with those people?”

“Seol!”

“Tell me!”

Cha Yong, who met Cha Seol’s eyes head-on, felt a dizzying vertigo.

‘Great Luo Soul Capturing Art!’

The battle between two casters of the Soul Seduction Art is dominated by the one who has the first move.

Cha Seol, who had seized the initiative, put strength into her eyes.

“…10 years.”

“10 years…”

“It was all for you.”

“Release them. Right now… release those people!”

Cha Yong tried to resist by shaking her head.

But she couldn't.

‘If I resist here, Seol might get hurt.’

Just as martial artists compete with their internal energy, casters compete with their mental strength and fight for initiative.

Cha Yong could have broken Cha Seol’s Great Luo Soul Capturing Art, but if she did, there was a high possibility that Cha Seol would be hurt by the rebound force.

It was a situation where she could even fall into qi deviation.

‘What should I do…’

A moment’s hesitation was fatal.

In a battle where victory and defeat were decided by mental strength, Cha Yong’s heart wavered.

Cha Seol, who did not miss this, pushed even harder, and the wall that Cha Yong had built crumbled.

“Ugh!”

Cha Yong’s eyes became hazy.

Having lost her reason, she staggered once and then turned her body.

Cha Yong passed by Jin Sohyun, Cheon Yerang, and Gu Jucheol and left the basement.

“Heok… heok…!”

Gu Jucheol, who had barely recovered his mental strength, gasped for breath, and Jin Sohyun supported him.

“Are you okay?”

“Now is… not the time to worry about that.”

Gu Jucheol pushed Jin Sohyun aside and said to Cha Seol.

“It’s not too late yet! So… hurry and stop Cha Yong! Hurry!”

“I don’t want to!”

Cha Seol, who had found out the truth, shouted firmly.

“For a whopping 10 years! They are people who lost their freedom because of me. We have to stop now.”

“You’re right. But! Have you not thought about the situation that will arise from that!”

“What… do you mean?”

At Cha Seol’s question, Jin Sohyun and Cheon Yerang, including Gu Jucheol, raised their heads at the same time.

Kugugugung—!

The sound of dozens of footsteps echoed from above their heads.

“Keuk! Don’t you get it! The martial artists who were under the Soul Seduction Art and were being controlled have come to their senses after 10 years! Now that they see the world straight, just like you… what do you think they will do first?”

Cha Seol, who had finally understood what Cha Yong and Gu Jucheol’s warning meant, looked at the entrance of the basement and said weakly.

“Revenge…”

“Aaaargh!!”

As angry screams followed one after another, Gu Jucheol gripped his sword and said.

“Get ready.”

At Gu Jucheol’s warning, Cheon Yerang and Jin Sohyun each took out their own weapons.

And then.

The residents poured in from the entrance of the basement.