"Why are you hiding the fact that you found the cave?"

Through the narrow slit of No Un’s eyelids, his clear pupils quivered subtly.

He was troubled.

But Seolhwa did not back down.

If she withdrew here out of consideration for his pride, she would not be able to cure his illness.

In order to identify the cause of the illness, the existence and location of the Secret Cave of the Ten-Thousand-League Phantom had to be disclosed.

To that end, she had no choice but to bring to light what No Un was trying to conceal.

"...."

No Un’s lips trembled.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again repeatedly before finally lowering his head.

"So... you truly knew."

Guilt spread across his expression.

After a long hesitation, he finally let out a deep sigh.

"I wanted to rise above."

His eyes, visible between the boils, drooped.

"Each time my fellow disciples ascended higher, I was overwhelmed with shame at my own shortcomings."

No Un, eldest disciple of the Daoist vessel and successor to the Sect Leader, had from his youth been the recipient of the Mount Hua Sect elders’ trust and expectations.

They had said that the next Sect Leader would be more virtuous and skilled in martial arts than any of his predecessors.

Even up to his time as a second-generation disciple, No Un's martial ability had never fallen behind that of his peers.

But at some point—

"While my fellow disciples reached enlightenment one by one and ascended their realms, no matter how hard I tried, I remained in place. Outwardly, I congratulated them, but at some point I realized..."

No Un placed a hand on his chest.

"I was unable to sincerely celebrate the great accomplishments of my fellow disciples."

Then he happened to overhear a conversation between the Sect Leader and the elders.

They said that because No Un, the designated Sect Leader, was stuck at Peak Realm, it had become difficult to pass down the sect's ultimate internal art.

“A Sect Leader who failed to master the Violet Mist Divine Art.”

The supreme inner cultivation of the Mount Hua Sect—called the Violet Mist Divine Art—required the practitioner to reach the Transcendent Peak Realm.

Until then, no Sect Leader designate had failed to do so, so its transmission had never been an issue.

But No Un had long failed to break through that wall, and the once-hopeful glances had turned to concern, frustration, and finally disappointment.

"I barely managed to reach the Transcendent Peak Realm and learned the heart technique, but even now I linger only at the level of Five-Star. I was never an exceptional sword master."

He had talent, but it was not extraordinary.

He worked hard, but not with desperation.

As time passed, he could never leave the place where he stood—only able to watch as his outstanding and brilliant peers ascended beyond him.

"Had someone like No Mun or No Baek become Sect Leader instead of me, the spirit of Mount Hua’s supreme arts would have been fully passed down."

For a mere Five-Star to pass down martial knowledge was vastly different from a fully realized master conveying the true essence of Mount Hua.

"So I became greedy. When I discovered the Secret Cave of the Ten-Thousand-League Phantom, I believed at last I had found my stroke of fate."

Even though that cave had likely been filled with treasures stolen unjustly from others.

"Blinded by greed, I made a shameful choice. I can no longer be called a Daoist... nor a disciple of Mount Hua."

No Un raised his hand.

Swish—as the sleeve fell, the boils covering his arm were revealed.

"This too is divine retribution for trying to defy the Dao."

Saying this, No Un looked far more at ease than before the confession began.

Having exposed the flaw he had harbored in his heart, he now felt, if anything, relieved.

Even as the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.

He, too, was merely human—just a martial artist yearning for a higher path.

"Do you not trust your master and seniors?"

It was Namgoong Mucheon who spoke, having listened quietly until now.

"Do you believe they did not understand your level of cultivation? Then why do you think they still chose you as the Sect Leader?"

"I am not worthy to sit in the Sect Leader’s position. My master and elders would not say so because they did not know how I truly was—"

"Cease such foolish words. Do you not see how such talk insults your master and your elders?"

Although No Un was the current Sect Leader, it was the former Sect Leader and the elders who had appointed him.

They could not have been unaware of the flaws in his martial cultivation.

Even so, they trusted him to the end and acknowledged him as the Sect Leader.

Thus, for No Un to speak of his own unworthiness was no different from disparaging the judgment of his predecessors.

"The body and the mind cannot walk separate paths. I shall assume what you just said ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) came from the pain of your body and pretend I did not hear it."

Just witnessing it was unbearable.

For him to have endured that agony for so long was, in itself, a feat.

Even if he believed that the source of his pain was his own greed and suffered guilt because of it—only someone like No Un could have endured in such a state.

As the two elders finished speaking, Seolhwa, who had been waiting patiently, now addressed No Un.

"You mean to say the symptoms began after you returned from the cave?"

No Un nodded.

"Yes. After inhaling the poisonous powder that had been laid within the cave, I became like this. I even brought some of it to a physician, but they could not identify any of its properties."

"Could you describe your symptoms in detail?"

"As you can see, boils appeared all over my body, and pus flows from them. But more serious is the dispersal of my internal energy."

"Your internal energy... disperses?"

"Yes. As if it were smoke."

Seolhwa’s expression darkened.

There was only one poison that disrupted internal energy like that.

“Scattering Energy Poison...?”

Scattering Energy Poison.

As the name implied, it disrupted internal energy.

Those afflicted by it could not use their internal power at all. The moment they tried to circulate it through their dantian, the poison would scatter the energy like smoke, preventing its concentration.

A poison that nullifies power accumulated over many years in an instant—Scattering Energy Poison was said to bring despair akin to losing one’s dantian when first afflicted.

As time passed, the toxicity would naturally dissipate and recovery would follow, but the anxiety of not knowing when one might again lose their internal energy never truly vanished.

Therefore, Scattering Energy Poison was inevitably fatal to martial artists who relied on internal energy to wield their techniques.

‘That is why the martial world spent generations trying to eliminate it entirely.’

As a result, even the formula for its creation was believed to have been lost.

‘In my previous life, the Blood Demon Cult revived Scattering Energy Poison and used it to assassinate masters too powerful to confront directly.’

But at this point in time, even the Blood Demon Cult did not possess Scattering Energy Poison.

And yet now, it was being used within the Secret Cave of the Ten-Thousand-League Phantom?

Could it be... that there was a connection between the Ten-Thousand-League Phantom and the Blood Demon Cult?

‘In my previous life, there was never any indication of such a link.’

She would need to verify it.

"You know the location of the cave, correct?"

"Of course I do."

"Grandfather."

Namgoong Mucheon gave a short nod.

"Let us depart as soon as the sun rises."

****

"Return safely. I will guard this place well."

At first light, the three of them set out for the Secret Cave of the Ten-Thousand-League Phantom, with the Commander of the Black Dragon Division seeing them off.

The cave was located south of Mount Hua, in a hidden valley on Falling Goose Peak.

Due to the geography, the location was hidden from view and could only be seen by circling around a cliff, making it extremely difficult to find.

"I came upon it by chance, drifting through many thoughts. At first, I thought it was a wild animal’s den."

The entrance was small enough to give that impression.

An average adult would have to crouch to pass through.

‘If Uncle Cheonghae were here, we would have had to widen the entrance.’

Even for Namgoong Mucheon, the space was tight, though not so much that it required opening up.

"Once you pass the narrow entrance, the space opens up. The poison powder had been rigged to scatter immediately upon entering. However, since the trap was already triggered the first time I entered, there should be nothing to worry about."

To determine the composition of the poison, No Un had revisited the cave when the symptoms of his boils were not yet severe.

Even then, the mechanism had not activated again, so he believed it would be safe.

"Just in case, I will go in first. I will call once I have confirmed it is safe. Do not follow prematurely."

"Understood."

Namgoong Mucheon took the lead, with Seolhwa and No Un following behind.

As they entered the cave, complete darkness enveloped them—so much so that nothing was visible.

Light should have filtered in somehow, but the complete darkness suggested the presence of a formation.

‘A formation at the very entrance?’

This was serious.

They walked for a while—how long, she could not be sure—and yet Namgoong Mucheon had not signaled for them, even though he said he would once it was safe.

Finding this strange, Seolhwa moved a little further in.

Gradually, the darkness lifted, and soon a wide space appeared. There she saw Namgoong Mucheon, surveying the surroundings.

"Grandfather...?"

Seolhwa deliberately remained just outside the open area as she called to him. But Namgoong Mucheon only looked around, as though he had not heard her.

She was about to call out again when—

Thud—

"!"

She felt a sudden push from behind.

Losing her balance, Seolhwa stepped into the open space.

In that instant, the narrow passageway she had just been standing in vanished without a trace.

"Seolhwa!"

"...Grandfather."

Moments later, No Un appeared from another direction.

However, his expression was unusually tense.

"Did you not hear me calling out to you?"

"...Calling out?"

"Something is wrong...! There was no formation on the path when I came here before...!"

"What...?"

"We should try to go back—"

It was then.

Boom! A deep sound rang out from within the cave, shaking the ground. At the same time, a grayish powder burst from all directions, engulfing the group.