Chapter 690
The Southern Barbarians valued martial strength above all.
Like the Han people of the Central Plains, they farmed, raised livestock, and mined gold and silver from rivers and mountains. But in the end, the most important thing to them was power.
What was the use of wealth? Even if the harvest overflowed and the fences held countless livestock, one needed strength to protect them.
Warriors.
And fierce beasts that could fight alongside those warriors.
That strength was a sword they could thrust into an enemy’s chest and a shield that protected their land.
The Southern Barbarians, forged through generations of hardship, knew this deeply. Even after the Five Poisons Sect perished and the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace rose, they devoted themselves to training warriors and beasts alike.
Large tribes, small tribes—there was no exception. Those without strength would be eliminated.
Yohee, chieftain of the Yao Tribe—one of the four great tribes—was no different.
If anything, her ambition made her more eager than the others.
She poured the gold and silver she gained from overlooking Baek Sang’s actions into strengthening her tribe. She gathered promising youths, trained them as warriors, studied the nature and weaknesses of beasts, and even improved them through breeding.
But—
Swish.
The instant she faced the thing rising from the shadows, Yohee—who had encountered countless beasts—felt her heart freeze.
Was this what it felt like to be struck by lightning straight through the skull?
In terms of size and raw strength, no beast surpassed the elephant. A body like a hill, a trunk that could uproot trees, tusks sharp enough to pierce armor.
But it, that Black Tiger, was something else entirely.
Yohee felt it. The vast, overwhelming presence radiating from the Black Tiger she had never seen before.
T-This is…
Size and appearance alone couldn’t explain it.
If the elephant was a hill—
then this Black Tiger was Mt. Aino itself.
No long trunk, no ivory tusks… yet simply standing there was enough to crush everything around it. It could not be described as a beast. Mystical Creature? Even that fell short.
The Black Tiger before her held a far deeper, far heavier aura than any Mystical Creature.
What on earth is that…
As Yohee swallowed a groan, a cool wind flowed from the Black Tiger and swept the surroundings.
Swaaa.
The grass and flowers bowed. The pond’s surface rippled.
A memory flashed across her mind.
I’ve felt this wind before. Twice.
At the time, she didn’t think much of it.
But now—she understood.
Just before she collapsed from the elixir pill Heukung gave her,
and when she first opened her eyes in this mysterious vast space—
the same wind had blown.
Then the one who saved us from Heukung was…
Her breath trembled.
Before she could speak, the Black Tiger—whose blue-white eyes resembled Muyaho’s—turned and vanished behind the massive tree.
Swaaa.
The wind subsided.
Yohee rushed toward the tree, but the tiger was gone.
Completely gone.
As if it had never existed.
How…?
Her dazed thoughts only cleared when Muyaho’s cry reached her.
—Grrr.
Thud.
A wet nose nudged her elbow.
Yohee snapped back to reality, remembering the person she had forgotten for a moment.
Jin Taekyung.
Her thoughts were tangled and tense, but something far more important remained.
She ran to the pond and checked his condition first.
A faint breath. Thanks to simple exhaustion, he had only fallen into a deep sleep. His condition had improved—
far more than when she last saw him.
Is it my imagination?
Yohee grabbed his arms. Clear water could worsen wounds—she needed to pull him out.
Just as she lifted him—
Thud.
A snowy white paw pressed firmly against her hand.
She understood the message.
“You’re telling me to leave him?”
—Grrr.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t—”
—Grrrrr!
Splash!
In a flash, Yohee was shoved into the pond. She stared at the White Tiger, stunned.
Her hand stung.
A thin cut from Muyaho’s claws bled into the water.
Why?
But the confusion was brief.
The answer came quickly.
Swaaa.
“The wound… it’s healing?”
She widened her eyes.
The torn flesh mended. The bleeding stopped. Slowly—
but undeniably.
When she lifted her hand out of the water, the healing halted and the wound reopened slightly.
The pond. Because I took my hand out.
She dipped it back in. Healing resumed.
“…A pond that heals wounds.”
More absurd than the legendary Emptiness Purity Stone Marrow, said to grant a lifetime of Internal Energy with one drop.
But she couldn’t doubt what she saw.
This bizarre space beyond any Mystic Gate Formation.
The unknown Black Tiger.
Her hand healing flawlessly.
And now she understood how Muyaho—who had nearly died—survived so perfectly.
“So that’s why you stopped me. He’ll recover faster if he stays in.”
—Grrr.
Muyaho licked her hand apologetically.
Yohee stroked its neck and exhaled.
“Then… the Black Tiger who appeared earlier—was it the one who saved us? Did it heal you and Jin Taekyung too?”
The White Tiger nodded emphatically.
“Why? Who is that Black Tiger? Who owns it? Do you know where this is?”
Muyaho hesitated—then shook its head.
Even it did not understand.
“I see. You don’t know either.”
—Grrr.
“It’s alright.”
She patted it again, though her mind raced.
Too little information.
Where were they?
How much time had passed?
When would Jin Taekyung wake?
One fortunate thing was that the unknown Black Tiger had clearly shown them kindness.
At least it isn’t related to Dark Heaven. If it were, we’d all be dead.
Yohee glanced at the still figure in the water.
Jin Taekyung slept with a peaceful expression—half-submerged, unmoving.
If I had collapsed instead… if he were awake… everything might already be solved.
A foolish thought—but inevitable.
She trusted him deeply now.
He who defeated two transcendent masters alone.
He who acted for the Southern Barbarians more than anyone.
He who bore righteousness and strength.
If Baek Sang and Dark Heaven have truly begun, Palace Lord Yal Mok can’t handle this alone. Time is running out.
And outside—
time was burning.
The Miao Tribe thrown into chaos after its leaders were arrested.
Warriors moving under the general mobilization order.
The grand plan reaching its peak.
The Southern Demon Empress smiling somewhere unseen.
But Yohee knew none of it.
She could only pray in this strange sealed world.
If there is Heaven’s Will…
Please wake him.
Even if I die—wake him.
Eyes shut tight, desperate—
she did not see it.
A tiny, unmistakable movement.
Splish—
A single finger twitched beneath the water.
Ripples spread outward.
And far beyond the ripples—
a dream formed.
***
I had a dream.
I knew it was a dream immediately.
Because the moment I opened my eyes, I saw a face I could never forget—
and heard a voice I thought time had begun to blur.
“Oh? You’re up already? Not going to sleep a little more?”
My throat tightened. My chest hurt.
I held back tears and answered.
It’s been a while… Father.
But my voice came out drowsy—
the voice of my childhood self.
“I don’t know. I just woke up.”
Only then did I realize.
I wasn’t in control.
I was merely watching an old memory.
My father, unaware, smiled warmly.
“You little rascal. I’m touched. How did you know Dad was heading out, and woke up all on your own, huh?”
His rough hand poked my cheek.
The past me grumbled.
“Ah, stop. I wanna sleep more.”
“Sleep more? The sun’s already high.”
“What time is it?”
“Six o’clock. Perfect time to start the day.”
“Ugh. Not for me.”
The past me buried my face in the pillow. My father laughed and stood.
“Sleep well, son. Dad’s heading to work.”
“Eh? It’s only six, why leave now?”
“I have to visit the countryside early. Might be late today.”
Inside, I screamed:
Don’t go. Father, please… don’t go.
But the past me didn’t know.
Didn’t understand.
Didn’t realize this was our last moment together.
“Okay. Have a safe trip.”
Sleepy words from a sleepy child.
My father ruffled my hair.
“Alright. See you later.”
That was it.
He would leave.
The door would close.
And hours later—I would be called to the teacher’s office.
That’s how it happened.
But—
“But son.”
I jumped at the voice that pierced me.
Not the voice of my child-self—
but the voice meant for me, the adult me.
My father tapped his watch and smiled.
“Isn’t it time you got up?”
And then—
Crack.
The dream shattered.
The ceiling.
The room.
My father.
Everything.
Cold water engulfed me.
Splash! Aaaagh!
As water burst upward, a pair of wide eyes met mine. A trembling voice followed.
“…How…?”
Well.
I muttered inwardly.
The same words my child-self spoke in the dream.
I don’t know. I just woke up.