Hoo-uk—

Namgoong Mucheon instinctively swept his energy outward to block the poisonous dust. However, the toxic mist spread rapidly, engulfing the entire space.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Hff...!”

Coughs erupted, and they held their breaths.

Until the white smoke completely dissipated, none of them could move.

‘...It really is Scattering Energy Poison.’

Seolhwa immediately attempted to circulate her internal energy.

As expected, her energy dispersed in an instant, like smoke vanishing into the air.

“So this is the poison you spoke of.”

Namgoong Mucheon also confirmed that his internal energy had unraveled. It felt as though the sword at his waist had disappeared without a trace.

But the one most taken aback was No Un.

“Th-this... When I came here before....”

He had clearly confirmed on his last visit that there were no formation arts at the entrance—nor any poison.

“How could....”

“Someone must have been here since then.”

Seolhwa looked around.

Whether it was the formation arts or the Scattering Energy Poison, there was only one explanation for their sudden appearance after No Un’s visit.

“It was likely the owner of this cave.”

The Ten-Thousand-League Phantom.

He had returned to the hidden cave.

“...This is troublesome.”

Having inhaled Scattering Energy Poison, it was dangerous to press forward.

If it were only himself and No Un, it might not matter—but Seolhwa was with them.

He wished they could turn back, but the entrance through which the three had entered had already vanished without a trace.

“Hm...”

Namgoong Mucheon frowned, troubled.

Should he collapse the tunnel?

He could not use internal energy, but a thin wall might still be breakable.

‘But if the cave collapses... Seolhwa...’

“There is another exit inside.”

Namgoong Mucheon turned to No Un.

No Un hesitated before continuing.

“However, there is no guarantee the path to the exit is safe.”

A formation art that had not existed before had now appeared, and the mechanical traps he had believed disabled had been restored.

No one could say what else might have changed from here on.

“What do you intend to do?”

At that moment, a low rumble echoed—ku-ku-kung...—and the cave shook.

“...It seems the cave’s owner is urging us to move.”

“...”

As Namgoong Mucheon muttered grimly, Seolhwa quietly scanned the tunnel.

In truth, she already knew the effects of the Scattering Energy Poison would soon wear off.

She had not said aloud that the poison was indeed Scattering Energy Poison, but in her previous life, Oh Hyeolju had spoken of the toxic mist, and its effects were said to last about half a sijin.

But the problem was—

‘There is a formation art deeper inside that disappears after half a sijin.’

If they failed to reach it within that time, they would never uncover the hidden treasure buried within this cave.

This was a labyrinth designed to be unreachable for those who hesitated, fearing the poison.

‘Somewhere around here...’

Seolhwa moved slowly, brushing her hand along the cave wall. At one point, she felt a depression beneath her fingers.

‘Here it is.’

“There is an inscription here.”

At Seolhwa’s words, Namgoong Mucheon and No Un approached. Namgoong Mucheon examined the characters carved into the wall and asked,

“‘Jade Plum Sword.’ Was this writing always here?”

“Yes. It was originally there.”

“Hm...”

Namgoong Mucheon let out a low hum.

‘The tremor earlier, and now this inscription...’

It was as though the owner of the cave was pushing them forward.

“I want to go inside, Grandfather.”

“And why is that?”

‘He who finds the Heavenly Palace Demon Head shall claim the world.’

Namgoong Mucheon and No Un turned to her at the same time.

What she had said was a well-known rumor spread by the Ten-Thousand-League Phantom about the Heavenly Palace Demon Head.

Though it had stirred all of the martial world, they wondered why she would bring it up now.

“Recently, my father and I found that Heavenly Palace Demon Head.”

“!”

“I never intended to hide it from you, Grandfather. I simply had no chance to say it.”

“It is all right. And—what did you obtain?”

“This elixir, and this.”

Seolhwa pulled something from her robes.

It was a fragment of a jade token, found alongside the Golden Dragon Jade Blood Treasure.

“There is an inscription on the back of the token. It says, ‘The first piece of the world has been obtained.’”

“Then that means...”

“That there are other pieces. And—”

Seolhwa ran her fingers over the carved words on the wall.

He who possesses courage shall gain the world.

“I believe one of those pieces is inside this cave. I want to find it.”

“...”

“May I go in?”

Namgoong Mucheon furrowed his brow in distress.

Were he alone, he would not have hesitated for a moment. But he would never endanger his granddaughter.

Even though he had heard there was another exit inside, unless he could be certain of her safety, he could not move so easily.

But if it was what his granddaughter wanted, it was different.

If it was treasure left behind by the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) great thief Ten-Thousand-League Phantom, then surely it would be of great use to her.

And Namgoong Mucheon was not a man to hesitate when it came to aiding his granddaughter.

Just then, the cave rumbled again—ku-ku-kung.

As stone dust trickled from the ceiling above, Namgoong Mucheon looked up, then let out a short sigh and gave a nod.

“Very well, let us proceed. I will take the lead.”

Namgoong Mucheon drew his sword.

Though he, too, had been exposed to the Scattering Energy Poison and could not use internal energy, the aura emanating from him was still not something to be taken lightly.

‘In any case, the mechanisms in this hidden cave are not especially dangerous.’

For someone of Namgoong Mucheon's caliber, they would be easy to overcome.

With Namgoong Mucheon at the head, the three began walking inward.

As they proceeded, No Un explained the traps he knew of one by one.

While the traps could have changed since his last visit, his knowledge of the cave’s layout remained valuable.

“There was a trap up ahead. About three steps forward, dozens of rods—about half a jang in length—will shoot out.”

As No Un spoke, Namgoong Mucheon would deal with each trap alone.

Just as described, when Namgoong Mucheon advanced three steps, rods suddenly sprang out from all sides.

Had they been unprepared, their bodies would have been battered from all directions. But Namgoong Mucheon effortlessly shattered the rods as they emerged.

Wooden fragments fell in a soft clatter.

“These were the ones I destroyed previously. As expected, they have all been restored.”

Next were wooden puppets that moved on their own.

As Namgoong Mucheon stepped within a certain distance, the puppets—each holding clubs—rushed toward him.

Once again, he easily subdued them.

After that came a trap with pits about half a person’s height.

Though the trap spanned a full jang, Namgoong Mucheon crossed the gap with ease even without internal energy.

Then came sandbags flying from every direction.

But before they could get close, each one was torn apart by Namgoong Mucheon’s sword, spilling sand midair.

Thanks to Namgoong Mucheon, Seolhwa and No Un were able to pass through each trap without difficulty.

“This is too easy.”

“The traps were never that threatening to begin with. It seems nothing has changed, aside from the mechanisms being restored.”

“That is strange.”

Namgoong Mucheon nudged the torso of a fallen wooden puppet with his foot.

‘Why install only traps that are so easy to deal with?’

They had rendered internal energy useless with Scattering Energy Poison, and yet the traps were all of a kind that could be overcome without it.

At this level, even if one failed to prepare, they could still push forward while enduring a few blows.

‘Is it meticulous planning or just carelessness?’

Or rather, preparing such “careless” traps might itself be the sign of meticulous intent.

How long had they been walking?

At some point, a breeze brushed past from the front. Carried on it was the refreshing scent of a forest.

“We are nearing the exit.”

Just as No Un said, a little farther ahead, the path split in two.

The breeze came from one of them.

No Un pointed in the direction from which the wind blew.

“This path leads to the exit. After turning through a bent tunnel, it connects directly to the outside. However, once we exit, we cannot return.”

“Does the entrance disappear?”

“Yes. The moment we exit, the cave entrance vanishes without a trace. To enter again, one must return to the original entrance.”

It was not difficult to understand.

They had already witnessed the entrance vanish once when they first stepped into the cave.

“What do you intend to do, Sword Emperor?”

After a moment of contemplation, Namgoong Mucheon turned to Seolhwa and passed the question to her.

“What do you wish to do?”

Seolhwa's answer had already been decided.

She had not come this far just to give up and leave.

They had neither uncovered anything nor obtained anything yet—there was no way she could turn back now.

“I want to go farther. It would be a waste to quit after coming all this way. I want to continue, Grandfather.”

“Jade Plum Sword. Have you gone beyond this point before?”

“I have.”

“Was it dangerous?”

“There is no danger. However...”

“?”

No Un trailed off, then pointed down the opposite path—the one leading deeper into the hidden cave rather than toward the exit.

“It would be better for you to see it yourself than for me to explain. The end of this path is not far. Let us go and take a look.”

It was a somewhat ambiguous answer.

Still, Namgoong Mucheon agreed with his granddaughter: it would be a shame to give up after coming this far.

After a brief moment of thought, Namgoong Mucheon stepped into the path opposite the exit.

And before long, he came to understand what No Un had meant.