Chapter 433: The Lake of Regret (3)

Woong.

Nahee’s body started to vibrate from the inside.

It was the proof of her being Shackled.

Then, she used her hand as support and stood up from the ground.

“Cough…”

Nahee coughed out harshly.

Not only did her ribs crack, but she was also being rough with the Qi inside her body when I Shackled her.

It wasn’t a special Shackle or anything.

I didn’t have that much Qi to spare and I didn’t feel the necessity to go that far.

“Hgh… Hgh…”

As Nahee struggled, she stared at me with tears in her eyes.

“You… just what are you…?”

I smirked after hearing her question. I was getting tired of that question now because of how many times I’ve heard it recently.

“What are you going to do when you learn?”

And my response was the same every time as well which didn’t make it any more interesting.

“…What did you do to my big brother for him to listen to your orders?”

“Are you curious?”

Step.

When I took a step forward towards Nahee, she flinched her body.

I didn’t plan on hitting her, but it seemed like she was scared because of my attack from earlier.

I kneeled down and leveled my eyes with her.

“Just bear with it, you’ll eventually have to become like him anyway.”

“…I’m different from Big Brother.”

I’m sure you are.

“Whatever you say.”

Nahee probably spoke to Tang Duk who suddenly appeared in the crew a few times already.

It was possible she tried speaking to him telepathically, but Tang Duk definitely didn’t respond to her.

Well, it was more so that he couldn’t.

I shook my hands off.

I Shackled her so that she couldn’t report this to anyone, but I also planned to release her from the Shackle if things went well.

Though it would be the easiest if I just killed her…

There was no way that she was a good person considering she worked under Tang Duk, and I had no hesitation in killing her since she had likely killed many people in her life as an assassin from the Tang Clan.

However.

Having my own spy would be helpful.

Considering I found Tang Clan suspicious right now, it was a good thing for me to have a spy like her.

I just had to make sure none of the trouble went to me if I was caught.

That wasn’t hard though. I was pretty confident in that field after all.

Moreover, it was possible that Nahee had information that not even Tang Duk was aware of.

It would be very wasteful for me to kill her off right now.

Even if I kill her,

I’ll do it after making her spill everything she knows of.

With that thought, I stood back up.

“Make sure you do a good job in keeping watch, and don’t go anywhere.”

“…”

“Oh, you can run if you want to, of course.”

Only run away if you aren’t scared of the consequences though, because you’ll be caught immediately if you tried.

I kept that thought inside my head.

Nahee seemed to have understood me even if I didn’t bother telling her directly.

I turned around and walked up to the lake. I felt more poisonous energy as I got closer.

Hmm.

I wasn’t able to feel it clearly when I stood far away, but it was pretty strong after I got up close to it.

“…Why are you planning to go inside the lake?”

“I don’t remember giving you the permission to speak.”

“Is there something inside?”

I was bothered by her constant questioning.

I slightly gazed at her and spoke with an annoyed tone.

“I’m going to pull your tongue out if you speak again.”

“…”

I was being serious.

Nahee’s shoulders shook when I spoke to her with killing intent.

I waited for her response without moving a step, but she didn’t say a word.

After seeing that sight, I started moving again.

Splash.

Psssh-!

It made a sizzling sound when my foot made contact with the lake water.

The poisonous water was trying its best to consume my body as a whole.

Hmm.

I then thought to myself after seeing the sight.

Did I bring a spare set of clothes with me?

“…”

Right, I didn’t.

At first, I thought about ordering Nahee to prepare me a new set of clothes, but I scratched the plan.

I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.

Pssssh…

I walked through the poisonous fog and went towards the center of the lake. Poisonous energy became denser as I got closer to the center.

The inside of the lake is probably much worse than this.

I changed my calculation from before.

I originally calculated that I had around a few minutes inside the lake, but it was twice as short as that.

I wasn’t sure when I stood far away from it, but I became certain after having come to the center. This lake…

Its poisonous energy is not leaking outside.

Such a strong energy would’ve been more than capable of consuming the surrounding area.

However, I was barely able to feel it from outside, which meant that there was something that kept the poisonous energy inside.

If I went inside the lake like this, my barrier would break shortly after.

Then, my body would melt down including my bones.

It was a horrifying thought, but my mind was so strangely calm.

I looked around with a calm and cold gaze.

Where was it again?

Funnily enough, going back wasn’t an option I had in mind.

I should’ve been careful with my life if I wanted to stop the war in ten years, so even I wondered why I was being so reckless.

However, standing on this lake made me feel something.

I felt like I could find it, and I will succeed.

That was the feeling I had in my chest.

What is this?

I smiled after feeling a sensation.

I see.

So it’s calling me.

It was calling for me.

If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t have gotten such a feeling.

Truthfully, I’ve felt this sensation a few times before.

I wasn’t sure in the past and it only felt faint, but I was able to know by this point.

Something is calling for me.

I’ve felt sensations like this every time I went to secret vaults.

However, I only believed it to be a coincidence in the past.

But for some reason, I was able to know now.

What brought a difference though?

Was it because I reached Fusion Realm?

Or perhaps it was because I had more Qi than before?

If not…

Is it because I am a Demonic Human?

Whichever it was, I knew that I didn’t have a clear answer.

Perhaps even this sensation was a lie.

Even if that was the case, I had to go.

I couldn’t afford to worry about my safety in a situation like this.

Hesitation wasn’t an option.

Swoosh-!

I charged my Qi and wrapped myself in it.

Then…

Splash-!

I threw myself into the lake filled with poison.

Gurgle.

I slightly opened my eyes thin after entering the lake.

It didn’t seem too different from regular water,

Pssssh-!

But the pressure I felt from my body clearly told me that this wasn’t ordinary water.

I thought that I could last a few minutes at first.

Bullshit.

I was so wrong.

Even dividing that time in half might have been too generous.

I widened my senses.

I then reached the bottom of the lake using my Qi.

It’s deep.

The lake was much deeper than it looked.

The bottom consisted of ordinary dirt, but there was an entrance here somewhere.

How much do I have left?

At most, I had one minute.

That was how long my barrier was going to last.

If this water makes contact with my body, then I would die on the spot.

Where are you bastard?

Where was I being called from?

I clearly felt some pulling me in.

Couldn’t you be a bit clearer?

Time continued to pass by.

Things were getting very dangerous now.

Right as I wondered if I had to go back up to rethink my plan, something came out from my pocket.

“…!”

Shaaa-!

I looked at it with shocked eyes, and it was the Red Water Snake.

This bastard…?

Right, he was inside my pocket the whole time.

I had forgotten about it.

It was surprising that the Red Water Snake suddenly came out, but this bastard-

It’s swimming?

The snake was swimming inside water filled with poisonous energy.

It is showing its might as a Red Water Snake huh…?

Or maybe it was possible for the snake to swim in such an environment since Red Water Snakes innately had poison in its body.

Whatever the answer was, I first had to go back up to the surface.

Shaa-!

But the Red Water Snake used its tail to wrap my arm and pulled me towards somewhere.

It was so weak that it only made a pulling gesture,

Huh?

But the important part was the fact that this snake was trying to pull me somewhere.

I saw the snake struggle as it tried to pull me.

It seemed like it had an intent of some sort.

But I really have to go back up now.

I was in a situation where I could seriously die if I didn’t go up any moment, but even with that thought, my body was already moving in the direction the snake was pulling me towards.

It felt as if I was charmed by something.

I think I’m fucked.

I frowned after that thought.

I didn’t have to move that far.

The bottom of the lake seemed same everywhere and the only differences were if there were small rocks laying around or not.

I had around twenty seconds until I ran out of Qi and my barrier broke.

I was really putting my life on the line.

Shaaa-!

The bastard hurriedly pointed to somewhere.

That one gesture took ten seconds.

The snake pointed to the ground which seemed ordinary.

I felt nothing from my senses.

However, I reached my arm out into that spot.

Crack.

My Qi gradually ran out. As the barrier around my body started to faintly disappear,

Tap.

The point of my finger made contact with something.

Kwaaaa-!

Then, my sight spun around.

Thud…!

“Ough…”

My body fell into somewhere and I had to roll around a few times.

After rolling for what seemed like an eternity, I finally came to a stop and I was able to breathe.

“Huff… Hah…”

I let out the breath I was holding and started to look around.

“This place is…”

I wasn’t inside water anymore.

Wherever the dark-colored dirt floor of the lake went, I was now standing on a stone path that was paved smoothly.

Moreover, I was underwater up until now, but my body wasn’t wet at all as if that never happened.

It would’ve been a big problem if the poison was still on my body.

I suppose it’s something to be glad about.

I lifted my head up.

There were pillars that lined up.

What were those things that faintly gave light from those pillars?

I opened my eyes widely after seeing what it was.

“Wait… are those Luminous Pearls?”

I was able to know immediately

The things that lit up the surroundings were definitely Luminous Pearls.

They were expensive items that gave light.

I saw it in the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s secret vault as well back then.

As I stood in shock after seeing Luminous Pearls,

Shaaa…

The Red Water Snake appeared and climbed up my body.

This bastard survived too huh?

I looked at the bastard that was lowering its head seemingly out of exhaustion, and I spoke as if I was charmed.

“…Thanks.”

Shaa-?

I only survived thanks to this bastard, so I thanked the snake as the first thing. I then asked the snake a question.

“How did you even know?”

Shaa?

The bastard tilted its head confusedly after hearing my question.

I clicked my tongue in response and started to look around. It was hard to say that I survived thanks to coincidence, but I had to focus on finding what I came here for.

Judging from the situation, I seemed to have somehow succeeded in entering the secret vault through a Formation.

I wondered how the environment changed from underwater to a secret vault, but I wasn’t even surprised anymore.

I’ve already experienced something like this a ton after all.

“It doesn’t look like a secret vault…”

But it felt different from what I saw in my past life.

Moreover, there weren’t even these Luminous Pearls at the time.

This meant one thing.

Someone went to the secret vault before I did…

Wait.

Does that mean they left after only taking the Luminous Pearls?

I couldn’t understand why they left the White Demonic Stone alone, but it wasn’t a problem.

It wasn’t like ordinary people had any uses for those stones anyway, and it was understandable for them to steal Luminous Pearls because of their value.

Who cares about what they did.

My goal here was the White Demonic Stone.

Although I will gladly take these Luminous Pearls in the way.

I never said I wasn’t going to take them. I definitely had to take them because of how expensive they were.

I nodded and moved my gaze.

First and foremost, I had to find the White Demonic Stone.

It should definitely be here around somewhere…

Shaaa.

I continued to look around to search for the White Demonic Stone, but the Red Water Snake climbed up to my shoulder and suddenly became wary after looking into a certain direction.

“What now? What’s making you- “

When I turned my head towards where the Red Water Snake was looking in,

“…!”

I saw the darkness that the light from the Luminous Pearls didn’t reach.

I felt something behind that darkness.

…

Inside the secret vault only filled with silence, there was someone else besides me.

I tried charging my Qi immediately after noticing…

Pang-!

“…Ugh!”

But my empty Dantian brought pain to my body as if it was revolting to my command.

Damn it.

The pain was so bad that I almost lost consciousness.

“Whew…”

I kneeled on one knee due to the pain.

[Who are you?]

Then, I started to hear a voice from the darkness.

[It isn’t Shincheol. Then who may you be?]

“…!”

I opened my eyes widely after hearing a familiar name.

The voice was looking for Elder Shin.

There was a Formation that changed its environment.

All these things felt extremely familiar, so I looked towards the darkness with a frown.

This is perhaps…

I felt like I had an idea of who the presence that stood behind the darkness was.

“…I’m sorry for the intrusion, but perhaps- “

As if it was reacting to my words, I saw a faint figure coming closer to my direction.

I’ve experienced something like this.

Plus, they also mentioned Elder Shin last time as well.

Moreover, judging by how this place was located in Tang Clan, I was able to realize who this presence was as if all pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

“Are you the Heavenly Poi… Huh?”

[That’s right.]

However, there was something shocking that I didn’t expect.

[I am Tang Jaemoon.]

“…”

[Who are you?]

Tang Jaemoon wasn’t a ‘He’, but a ‘She’ instead.