Soul Summoning Sword

Chapter 65: Spear Spirit Pressure (5)

The mountain path leading north grew increasingly rugged.

Gugwi’s group had now reached the border between the Cold Wolf Sect and the Heavenly Sound Cult. Even the air itself seemed heavy.

A massive valley divided the two forces.

On the southern cliff, the white banner of the Cold Wolf Sect fluttered in the wind, while on the northern cliff, the black banner of the Heavenly Sound Cult billowed.

Even the flapping of the flags stirred tension.

“That’s where the real danger begins.”

Jang Unhyeok whispered as he held his breath.

Tension spread across his face, and cold sweat formed on his brow.

Martial artists were stationed all throughout the valley.

On the Cold Wolf Sect’s side, disciples clad in white martial uniforms stood on guard with swords at their waists. They were not Soul-Summoners, but ordinary martial artists. Yet, men dispatched by the Murim Alliance had been stationed everywhere.

Those who had trained in the Nameless Sound Disruption!

Perhaps because they had undergone special training to subdue Soul-Summoners, their eyes were as sharp as hawks.

That must have been why faint vibrations of sound waves seemed to ripple through the valley.

The Heavenly Sound Cult’s side was even more severe.

Soul-Summoners clad in black armor stood in rows, and around them lingered the dark energy of spirits. The very air was chilling and eerie.

“Here, you mustn’t even breathe too loudly.”

Jang Unhyeok whispered again, his voice so faint it was barely audible.

Gugwi nodded.

It felt as though they were walking along the edge of a sheer ceiling cliff. One wrong step and they would be attacked by both sides at once. Even the pounding of his own heart felt unbearably loud.

Sshhhk—!

Yeon Sohye spread So Ryeonghwa’s Silver Spirit Technique as thinly as possible. A nearly transparent mist enveloped the group.

She focused on erasing every trace of their presence.

Silver smoke drifted from her fingertips, seeping into the air and distorting vision.

“Over here!”

Jang Unhyeok led the way into a hidden path between rocks. A secret passage said to be used by the Heavenly Sound Cult’s spies from the Intelligence Division… His steps were cautious, like those of a cat.

Every movement was calculated.

Gugwi also erased his footsteps using Cloud Flow Step. His steps crossed over rocks as lightly as the wind. Each time his toes touched the stone, he absorbed the shock with spiritual energy to smother the sound.

Sst!

A Cold Wolf Sect sentry turned his head, as if sensing something unusual.

His eyes swept across the empty space, but Yeon Sohye’s Silver Spirit Technique concealed everything. Still suspicious, he narrowed his eyes to scrutinize the area, but soon turned his gaze elsewhere.

A Heavenly Sound Cult Soul-Summoner dispatched a spirit to scout the surroundings.

A shadowy reconnaissance spirit floated through the air, sweeping the area. It even passed directly above the rock where the group hid. Fortunately, the Silver Spirit Technique blocked its perception.

The three of them moved northward like phantoms, slipping through the net of watchmen.

Guided by Jang Unhyeok, they crawled between crevices and edged precariously along cliffs.

One mistake would mean being surrounded by dozens of martial artists.

Sst!

A group suddenly appeared from behind the rocks.

Their black armor glinted coldly under the moonlight.

“Advance.”

A man wielding a blood-red spear stepped out from the shadows and called for Sasaha. Crimson energy wavered at the tip of his spear.

“Take command of the subordinates, Bloodscent Fiend.”

At Ma Ungyeol’s gesture, martial artists hidden behind him emerged.

They were all Soul-Summoners of the third stage of Initial Contact or higher. Among them were two experts who had reached the fourth stage of Spiritual Sensitivity, their spiritual energy chilling the air.

“Lead them and continue the pursuit.”

“What are you playing at?”

Sasaha glared at Ma Ungyeol.

“I have separate business. If you encounter Gugwi, attack immediately. Don’t give him time for words.”

Ma Ungyeol’s voice was laced with cruelty.

Sasaha frowned.

“Can’t you at least discuss it first?”

“Let not the right hand know what the left hand is doing. Heh!”

Ma Ungyeol spoke firmly.

“Double the pursuit speed. It doesn’t matter if you’re exposed to the Murim Alliance. Run at full force and draw their attention.”

His eyes gleamed coldly.

“That sounds like you’re telling us to clash with the Murim Alliance on purpose. If discovered, you want us to kill them all and stir chaos? Your subordinates could all die here.”

“If that’s what it takes to capture Gugwi, it’s a cheap price.”

Ma Ungyeol spoke casually, even in front of his men.

Sasaha’s gaze flashed.

“So be it.”

She nodded and shouted toward Bloodscent Fiend.

“Bloodscent Fiend! Begin pursuit at maximum speed!”

Bloodscent Fiend, who had remained silent until then, raised the Blood Orbs high and summoned Living Spirits. Dozens of them howled as they circled in the air.

“Heh! Let’s finish this quickly. We’ll eat lunch back on our own land, won’t we?”

Ma Ungyeol slipped into a side path.

Before vanishing into the shadows, he locked eyes with Sasaha. An unspoken signal passed between them.

‘Mm!’

Gugwi halted his steps.

The Spirit Flow Core in his heart shuddered violently. Like an alarm, its fierce vibrations shook his entire body.

“Living Spirits are coming. Un Serim!”

He summoned Un Serim. A pale figure emerged in midair and began scanning the surroundings. Waves of spiritual energy spread outward, broad and deep.

“A full pursuit… Not just Living Spirits, but other hunters too. This energy… could it be Sasaha of the Twelve True Armies?”

Gugwi’s face hardened. He sensed hostile energies approaching from multiple directions.

“Can you guard me for a while?”

“Of course!”

Yeon Sohye and Jang Unhyeok quickly blocked the path.

Gugwi sat cross-legged on the ground. The stones beneath him sank slightly under his weight.

“What are you trying to do?”

Yeon Sohye asked urgently, silver energy flickering in her hands.

“I need to deal with the Living Spirits.”

“Ah! That? To purify Living Spirits… I’ll finally see it with my own eyes?”

Gugwi closed his eyes and sent his consciousness into the Realm of the Threshold.

“Huuuup—!”

As his breathing deepened, the Spirit Flow Core wrapped his body in a misty blue glow that swirled around him.