Chapter 621
“Let’s go. No matter your destination, I’ll lead the way.”
I looked at the aged Silent Heaven Pavilion agent, Nam Ho, who despite his years still showed unwavering determination, with a moved expression.
“To say you’ll lead the way even if it’s the road to the underworld… I don’t know what words could do justice to your loyalty, Elder Nam.”
“No, I didn’t say I’d follow you all the way to the underworld…”
“These days your bones must ache and your memory must falter often, yet you still step forward for us. Thank you. It will be of great help.”
“…Truly, thank you. Just hearing your words makes it feel like strength and willpower are surging through this old body.”
“There’s no need to thank me.”
As Nam Ho fixed me with a grim expression, he suddenly spoke.
“But where are you headed? I may think differently, but first, I’d like to hear your destination.”
Destination. Instead of answering, I glanced into the empty air.
To the eyes of others, it was nothing but a void, yet as always, information that no one else here could see appeared before me.
[Southern Barbarian Beast Palace]
The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was one of the great powers categorized as belonging to the outer frontier, hidden deep within the most secretive parts of the Southern Barbarian Region.
But with the great war looming, the Murim of the Central Plains needed their aid. It was time to awaken the beast that had long slept within the jungle.
Or perhaps… to rescue that beast from an as-yet-unrevealed crisis.
Rank: Transcendent
Restriction: Jin Taekyung and Fire Dragon Pavilion members
Mission: Arrive at the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace (Incomplete)
Reward: Linked Quest ???
Failure: ???
It was the newly updated linked quest that appeared right after meeting Nam Ho, and it matched perfectly with my own conclusion.
“Our destination is the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.”
Hearing my belated answer, Nam Ho nodded gravely.
—
The Southern Barbarian Region was vast and unforgiving.
In terms of sheer land area it was smaller than Sichuan, but traversing it was incomparable to the Central Plains.
“Do you recall what the Pavilion Master once said? A distance of ten li in the Southern Barbarian Region is like a hundred li in the Central Plains.”
Anyone who couldn’t understand Nam Ho’s words had surely never set foot in this land.
My Fire Dragon Pavilion comrades and I learned within half a day just how miserable this place really was.
Bzzz! Smack!
“Mu-jin, what was that noise?”
“Nothing. Just a mosquito. My neck suddenly stung, that’s all.”
“Really? Still, be careful. Should we call Elder Nam, just in case?”
“Captain, please. Do I look like a child? I am Hyuk Mu-jin, veteran warrior who’s fought countless battles at the right hand of the Blazing Fire Dragon! That’s me!”
…Exactly one hour later, the veteran warrior Hyuk Mu-jin collapsed while vomiting.
“Urghhh!”
“Mu-jin!”
“What’s happening?!”
“Elder Nam! Mu-jin has collapsed!”
“I may be old, but I can still see him lying there. Was it a mosquito bite?”
“Cough… y-yes. About an hour ago, from one with blue stripes…”
“Blue stripes? An hour ago? Antidote. Bring the antidote, now!”
Fortunately, saving the veteran warrior wasn’t difficult.
I possessed the Myriad Poison Ring of the Sichuan Tang Clan and had fifty antidotes from quest rewards.
But that didn’t mean we could relax.
“Normally they hunt in packs, preying even on wild beasts. Had we been an hour later, he wouldn’t have survived.”
With Nam Ho’s stern warning, we resumed our journey—avoiding the eyes of the tribes who would have attacked Han on sight—venturing ever deeper into danger.
“Taesan! Taesan’s stomach hurts! It feels like it’s tearing apart!”
“Elder Nam!”
“What did you eat this time!”
“Taesan was hungry, so he ate a red mushroom from a tree.”
“You foolish pig! How many times have I warned you! That was Blood Sacrifice Fungus—so toxic even tigers can’t survive it! Antidotes won’t work on that!”
Nam Ho’s rage quickly turned to bewilderment, though, when Taesan waddled into the bushes, relieved himself, and emerged completely fine.
“Taesan feels better now. All empty inside.”
“…Is that thing really human?”
With genuine doubt, Nam Ho looked at Sama Pyo. After a pause, Sama Pyo answered uncertainly.
“Most likely… yes.”
“Taesan is hungry again now that his stomach’s empty.”
“I swear on Heaven and Earth, if you eat another mushroom, you’ll never feel hunger again.”
“Oooh. That sounds tempting.”
“…Regrettable. If only I had martial arts, I’d have beaten him to death on the spot.”
Leaving behind the old agent’s lament, we pressed on.
Everywhere our feet carried us, dense jungle, sweltering heat, and the glowing yellow eyes of predators hidden in the brush awaited us.
‘Is this the Amazon instead of the Southern Barbarian Region?’
A godforsaken land. Tigers appeared more often than stray cats near a university campus, and crocodiles swarmed like tadpoles in a stream.
And compared to the poisonous flowers and grass that could kill with just a whiff or the giant wasps with stingers bigger than their bodies, even those beasts seemed cute.
At least predators could be spotted thanks to their size.
After only a couple days, Hyuk Mu-jin’s groaning made perfect sense.
“At this rate, I won’t last another two days. Forget the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.”
He wasn’t exaggerating—after four poisonings in a single day and several more in the following two, he was skin and bones.
The Southern Barbarian Region surpassed all expectations.
“Can’t we take another route? It may be rough and inconvenient, but compared to this, it’d be paradise.”
There were paths in the Southern Barbarian Region. Though primitive, the countless tribes occupying different areas maintained some routes for limited trade and movement.
But Nam Ho’s answer was firm.
“No. And you know why.”
“If it’s just because of hostile tribes, I’d rather fight them. If we can talk things through, that’s even better.”
“Talk?” Nam Ho blinked at the naïve response.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
“There was a village once. Two hundred people welcomed outsiders kindly. They were all slaughtered—men, women, and children alike. Do you still think words will work?”
“…No. Not really.”
“Finally, some honesty. Good. Now shut up and move.”
“Yes, sir.”
Even I had to admit Nam Ho was right.
Fighting the Southern Barbarian tribes head-on would be the same as declaring war on the entire region.
They might fight among themselves, but when an outsider appeared, they united instantly.
‘That’s why even the Demon Sect in the Great War of Justice and Evil never fully conquered this land.’
The Demon Sect’s 100,000-strong army once swallowed half the world, yet they stopped at the Southern Barbarian frontier and retreated after planting a single flag.
The vicious diseases, treacherous terrain, and endless beasts and poisons here were deterrent enough.
‘And revealing our identities isn’t an option either.’
Even if hostility toward the Han eased a little, the bigger problem was the lurking presence of Dark Heaven.
‘They’ll definitely make a move here. It’s only a matter of time.’
That was why we’d traveled from Henan in secrecy, avoiding exposure.
Though we’d had to reveal ourselves to the pirates of Surongchae, we silenced them thoroughly.
We even refrained from contacting allies like the Emei Sect, Cheongseong Sect, or the Sichuan Tang Clan.
If our identities were exposed here, everything would be wasted.
Dark Heaven would accelerate their plans, and once the Gates opened, disaster would follow.
‘We can only reveal ourselves once we reach the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.’
Its master, the Beast Miao King, had fought in the Great War of Justice and Evil and was said to hold respect for Jeok Cheon-Gang and the Yeolhwa Sect.
Compared to the frenzied tribes, he was far more reasonable.
‘But thanks to those idiots from Cheonma Escort Agency, our reputation’s already tarnished.’
Dragged down by association, both I and the Fire Dragon Pavilion had been disgraced.
Even though I wasn’t even Han.
‘…Is this what they call “Han privilege” or something?’
It was absurd, but no remedy existed. Trying to explain I was Korean would get me nowhere.
When I once drew a Taeguk symbol in Guwha Mountain out of homesickness, Jeok Cheon-Gang only said:
“Wudang Sect, eh?”
“…No. Not Wudang.”
“If it’s Taeguk, it’s Wudang.”
“Taeguk means Korea.”
“What’s Korea?”
“…Never mind.”
“Add 200 geun to your training weights.”
“…Two hundred? Why?”
“No reason.”
Even recalling it now stung my eyes.
Exiled to another dimension and still suffering—such was my fate.
As I sighed, Nam Ho snapped at me.
“What? You want to go talk to the tribes right now? Or maybe fight them head-on?”
“…Why the sudden outburst? I don’t plan on either.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
Fights would come, but not now. Even the beasts prowling nearby were already enough trouble.
I scanned the thick jungle and swamp before asking Nam Ho,
“How much farther?”
“At best, three days. At worst, six.”
“That’s… a lot longer than I hoped.”
“Considering we’re avoiding attention, that’s already short.”
Rubbing his back, Nam Ho pressed onward.
“From here on, don’t slow down for a single moment. If we cross Ainai Mountain today, we’ll reach the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace in four days.”
He was right.
Exactly four days later, atop a high mountain ridge, we finally saw it—
a massive structure shrouded in deep cloud and mist.
“The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace…”
Someone whispered the words, carried away by the passing wind.