Soul Summoning Sword

Chapter 70: Slow Breath, Careful Steps (5)

The sun was setting.

Gugwi looked around with a frown. In various places across the Valley of Heavenly Slaughter, blurry figures writhed. Stray Spirits clung stubbornly, like mayflies refusing to let go.

“It sure is annoying.”

Yeon Sohye waved her hand through the air, as though pushing away something unseen.

“Over there, I hear the sound of water.”

Jang Unhyeok tilted his head, listening.

The babbling sound of a stream drifted with the wind.

There were places where spirits could not easily cling—where water and open spaces met.

The three followed the sound of the water. Pushing through branches and climbing over rocks, they finally reached a stream. Stones jutted out here and there, and the energy of the Stray Spirits was markedly weaker.

Because the stones spread wide across the ground, the Stray Spirits could not attach themselves.

“This place should do.”

Gugwi rested his hand against a boulder. The chill of the rock seeped into his palm.

“Those things can’t come close because of these stones.”

Yeon Sohye nodded.

Spirits of Water could attach to deeper waters, but in a shallow brook like this, where the water barely reached one’s ankles, it instead washed away lingering spirits.

Gugwi began moving small rocks aside.

Palm-sized stones, one by one, he picked up and tossed into the stream. Splash! Water rose and ripples spread.

Yeon Sohye and Jang Unhyeok joined in.

Their hands moved busily. The ground gradually flattened.

“This should be good enough.”

Yeon Sohye spread out a blanket. The fabric carried a soft, familiar scent.

“Let’s just sleep like this tonight, and tomorrow we’ll build a proper shelter.”

Jang Unhyeok sat down on the blanket. The hard rock pressed against his back, but it was bearable.

Gugwi looked up at the sky.

Stars twinkled overhead. The sound of the stream circled his ears like a lullaby.

“How about we spend the winter here?” Gugwi suddenly said.

“Spending winter here feels too desolate, don’t you think? It might be better to hide for ten days and then move elsewhere. But why? Did you find something about this place?”

Jang Unhyeok asked.

“Not really… It’s just, until now I only thought about Soul-Summoning Arts, but now I want to properly polish my martial arts. I’ll probably need at least half a year of training.”

Yeon Sohye nodded.

“It won’t help with Soul-Summoning, but I can help you train martial arts.”

Jang Unhyeok agreed as well.

“Suddenly deciding to train martial arts… it’s because of the Black Flame Shatter, isn’t it? Against that, even Spirit Union Martial Arts are useless.”

Gugwi nodded.

He had already suffered several defeats, all of them to martial arts. Against Spirit Union Martial Artists, he had won. But against true martial arts, he lost time and time again.

He needed to hone his martial arts in earnest. Otherwise, even with the Spirit Union Martial Arts of Un Serim or General Madal, he had to be able to deploy them perfectly, without flaw.

“I noticed you were flustered earlier by the Black Flame Shatter… but do you know there’s something even stronger than that?”

Gugwi looked at Jang Unhyeok, as if to ask whether such a thing really existed.

“What on earth do they even teach disciples in the Cold Wolf Sect? They don’t even explain the basics like this?”

Jang Unhyeok turned to Yeon Sohye.

She merely shrugged, as if she had nothing to say.

“At first glance, Soul-Summoners may look impressive… but they’re under the influence of both the Murim Alliance and the Taoist sects.”

Jang Unhyeok said.

“The Murim Alliance uses the Nameless Sound Disruption to control most Soul-Summoners. Black Flame Shatter is used against unique or top-ranked Soul-Summoners. But the Taoist sects are even more terrifying.”

“The Taoist sects?”

“Taoist schools. Daoists, hermits.”

Jang Unhyeok’s expression darkened.

“They control spirits with talismans and formations. And they’re far stronger than the Murim Alliance.”

Gugwi’s eyes widened.

He had never heard of the Taoist sects before.

“Talismans?”

“The most well-known is the Blood Talisman. It seals spirits. You throw that yellow slip with red writing, and the spirit vanishes instantly. Faster than when you purified the Living Spirit.”

Jang Unhyeok sliced his hand through the air.

“Then there’s Heavenly Thunder Formation. That cripples Soul-Summoners. It draws lightning down from the sky to sever their connection with the Realm of the Threshold. After that, they’re helpless cripples.”

Yeon Sohye added.

“There’s also the Demon-Exorcising Sword Technique. They infuse their sword with Taoist power, and when it cuts you, you vanish forever. You can’t even enter the Realm of the Threshold—you’re erased completely. From our perspective, it’s basically a Demon Sword Technique.”

Gugwi’s face stiffened. Even with his Spirit Flow Core, he wasn’t sure he could withstand such attacks.

“In that case, Soul-Summoners are……”

“That’s why your own martial arts matter. You already know this from experience, but the Twelve True Armies don’t rely only on Spirit Union Martial Arts. They’ve mastered the martial arts of Spirit Union Martial Artists, and they use other martial arts as well.”

Gugwi nodded.

There was something he had realized when facing the Captain of the Blue Blood Unit, Sasaha. The Spirit Flow Core alone wasn’t enough.

“To select a Spirit Union Martial Artist and make contact is to use their martial arts as they did in life…”

Jang Unhyeok gave a bitter smile.

“But if the one you contact was a third-rate martial artist, then the Soul-Summoner connected to them can only be third-rate too. You can’t go beyond that.”

Gugwi thought of Un Serim and General Madal.

Their martial arts were formidable. Enough to be sect leaders in their own right, enough to command vast armies. But they weren’t the strongest. There were always greater masters.

“Here… as I’ve said before, it’s the Soul-Summoners’ problem. When you have two or three Spirit Union Martial Artists, things change. Their powers amplify each other. At that point, my martial arts grow stronger too.”

“That’s true.”

Yeon Sohye agreed.

“You even created a new spear technique thanks to Un Serim and General Madal’s influence. Just like that, one plus one isn’t two—it can become three, four. But then, what really counts as the right path?”

Gugwi spoke calmly.

“For now, I want to systematize the martial arts of Un Serim and General Madal. Compile them into manuals and train steadily. Since I still have the inner energy left behind by the Nameless Martial Artist even without contact, with that strength I should be able to practice most martial arts.”

“A wise thought. Once your own martial arts grow stronger, you won’t even need Spirit Union Martial Artists anymore. But they won’t become useless. Like Sasaha, you could use formations like the Dark Blood Formation or the Earth Suppression Formation to control Spirit Union Martial Artists like subordinates.”

Gugwi remembered Sasaha.

She freely commanded four Spirit Union Martial Artists. That was the true image of a Soul-Summoner.

“So… how long do you plan to stay here?”

“At least half a year? I’ll need that long to train.”

Gugwi answered.

“I’ve been thinking of training martial arts, but I don’t know where to start. Just help me get started.”

“Of course.”

Yeon Sohye and Jang Unhyeok replied in unison.

The wind swept through the twisted trees, carrying with it strange cries.

Gugwi’s hair swayed in the wind.

‘This sound…?’

It was like a person’s groan, yet also like a beast’s cry. A sound that seemed as if spirits were welcoming Gugwi.

He closed his eyes and stepped into the Realm of the Threshold.

A faint vibration began in his heart. The Spirit Flow Core was reacting.

Thousands of voices rushed into his ears.

At first, it was just a chaotic mass of noise. But gradually, he began to distinguish them one by one.

“Save me…….”

A single voice rang out clearly.

It was the voice of a young man. Despair-filled sobs were embedded within it.

Gugwi focused his consciousness in that direction.

His gaze turned beyond the stream, toward a rotting tree. A gloomy aura lingered there, like that of a grave.

A spirit appeared. He was a youth of about twenty. His clothes were tattered, and his face was pale without a trace of blood. His eyes were hollow, and his lips had turned blue.

The young man moved his lips, but no sound came. Instead, through gestures, he pleaded. He clasped his hands together, bowed as if in prayer, then stretched his hands toward the sky.

He moved desperately, yet Gugwi could not discern what he wanted to say. All that remained was the pitiful sight. He looked wretched. Gugwi’s chest tightened.

“Do you wish to be at peace?”

Gugwi asked quietly.

The youth nodded violently.

Transparent tears fell from his eyes. He then pressed both hands against his chest, his expression earnest.

Gugwi activated the Spirit Flow Core.

Blue light surged from his heart. He felt the cold energy spreading through his veins, coursing throughout his body.

“I will help you. I cannot take you away from here completely… but what follows must be done on your own.”

Paaat!

The blue light enveloped the youth, wrapping around him like a warm embrace. A hint of serenity passed over his face. The expression that had been twisted in agony softened.

The young man was drawn deep into the Realm of the Threshold.

Soon, he became one of the countless rivers of starlight, flowing far away. He disappeared, glittering like the Milky Way.

Gugwi opened his eyes.

He had successfully ascended the first spirit. But thousands still remained. The murmuring voices that filled his ears were as noisy as the beating wings of a swarm of bees.

“It’s only the beginning……. I mustn’t get caught up in sentiment already.”

Gugwi muttered, his voice tinged with self-reproach.

“Why did he look so pitiful?”

He let out a faint laugh. It was a lonely laugh.

Yeon Sohye and Jang Unhyeok were watching him. Both of their gazes were fixed on Gugwi.

“At least he’s using the Spirit Flow Core properly now……”

Yeon Sohye sighed in relief. The tension seemed to ease from her shoulders.

Jang Unhyeok asked sharply, his eyes gleaming.

“If he uses the Spirit Flow Core for evil, will you kill him? Is that why you’re accompanying him?”

Yeon Sohye shook her head.

“No. Right now, I’m neither in the position of the Cold Wolf Sect nor the Heavenly Sound Cult. I’m standing as a Soul-Summoner.”

Her voice was resolute.

“Somehow, I feel like I’ll see this through to the end. That this is the strongest path a Soul-Summoner can take.”

Jang Unhyeok remained silent for a moment, then spoke.

“There is one thing… I want your agreement on.”

His voice dropped. A dangerous aura seeped out.

“I’m going to use Gugwi. I need to save my son. And if I can’t, then I’ll kill him. The situation has already become too dire.”

His fist clenched. The sound of joints cracking echoed.

“I can’t do it alone. I can’t even get close to the Sect. That’s why I intend to use him… I ask for your understanding.”

Yeon Sohye’s eyes grew cold.

“And if I don’t allow it?”

“Then I’ll kill you.”

Jang Unhyeok replied calmly, as though discussing the weather.

“Do you think I’m someone you can take lightly?”

Murderous intent laced Yeon Sohye’s voice.

“Don’t forget that I was once the Head of the Intelligence Division. I don’t take on things that are impossible.”

Jang Unhyeok’s lips curved upward into a cynical smile.

“You do as you wish. I’ll do as I wish.”

Yeon Sohye’s hand rested on the hilt of her dagger.

“If our interests clash, then we can decide life and death at that time. Is there any need for more words? Ah!”

Her eyes flashed.

“Don’t forget that I was once the Captain of the Shadow Moon Unit.”

Papat!

Flames sparked in their eyes. In the silence, broken only by the flowing stream, unseen sword qi clashed.

The wind blew once more. Leaves rustled and fell.

It seemed it would be a long winter.

A month passed.

Two shadows appeared at the entrance of the Valley of Heavenly Slaughter.

It was the Captain of the Blue Blood Unit and the Yeongbi Pavilion Lord. Their faces clearly bore the exhaustion of a month-long pursuit.

The Yeongbi Pavilion Lord studied the ground.

His tracking skill shone once again. Though there were no footprints, the angle of a snapped branch, the pressed moss, even a strand of fur blown by the wind—everything was a clue.

“They were here.”

He muttered.

The Captain of the Blue Blood Unit looked toward the Valley of Heavenly Slaughter.

Black mist blanketed the valley. The foul aura of stray spirits could be felt. His brow furrowed.

“Here?”

“They must be inside.”

The Yeongbi Pavilion Lord answered, though hesitation lingered in his voice.

“It took long enough.”

The Captain of the Blue Blood Unit spoke, dissatisfaction in his tone.

“My apologies.”

The Yeongbi Pavilion Lord bowed his head.

Without their knowledge, unidentified shadows were watching them from behind.

They were the assassins of death, charged with internal inspections for the Heavenly Sound Cult.

Their faces were hidden beneath black cloth as they concealed themselves in the shade of the trees.

Their mission was to investigate and eliminate traitors within the cult—those who schemed rebellion from the shadows.

The moment the Captain of the Blue Blood Unit and the Yeongbi Pavilion Lord entered the Heavenly Sound Cult’s territory, they had fallen under these assassins’ watch.

But for now, they only observed in silence. It was not yet the time to strike.