Soul Summoning Sword

Chapter 29: Radiance in the Dark Night (4)

The dawn mist wrapped around the Cold Wolf Sect.

Within the gray curtain, the outline of the citadel appeared faintly, then disappeared again.

Only the sound of wind brushing past the fortress walls broke the silence.

Gugwi sat on his knees inside the room.

As soon as he placed his hand on his Dantian, scorching heat surged upward.

A clear and vivid blue light seeped out between his fingers.

Irregularly, as if bubbles burst under water.

“Again.”

He clenched his teeth.

Yeon Sohye had told him not to use it, and Yun Seoha had told him to hide it… but the Spirit Flow Core acted on its own.

How was he supposed to suppress the blue energy that pulsed and burst forth in rhythm with his heartbeat?

Even when he clenched his fist tightly, the light seeped out.

Even when he covered it with clothing, it shone through the fabric.

“A secret art? Or… a curse?”

His muttering dropped into the silence of the room.

From the window, the dawn wind seeped in, making the candle flame flicker.

Shadows danced on the walls.

“Ugh!”

His body trembled.

A cold sensation climbed up his spine.

It was the same eerie feeling he always felt whenever the Spirit Flow Core activated.

As if someone was watching him.

“Either way, this is troublesome. If it keeps bursting out like this without warning… just like Lord Yun discovered it, soon the entire Cold Wolf Sect will know. It’s only a matter of time.”

This problem—he would have to discuss it with Yeon Sohye once the sun rose.

“I will be visiting the Amryu Sect.”

Yun Seoha reported to Sect Leader Un Hojin.

She stood upright, her Silver Spirit Fan tucked into her belt.

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows over her face.

The books lined up on the shelves kept a heavy silence in the darkness.

“Suddenly?”

Un Hojin raised his head from the desk.

His gaze pierced into Yun Seoha’s eyes.

The eyes of the Sect Leader, who had led the Cold Wolf Sect for many years, were sharp.

As if trying to see through her.

“I heard news that the Amryu Sect discovered an ancient secret manual.”

“Ah! That one.”

Un Hojin waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s useless. It’s an undecipherable manual. Even after mobilizing scholars well-versed in scripts, no one has been able to decode it. You should already know that much.”

“Yes. I do know.”

“Then why?”

“I’m curious as to what kind of writing could be undecipherable… and I thought perhaps Gugwi might.”

“Gugwi?”

Un Hojin’s brows furrowed deeply.

“That boy? Why?”

“From Initial Contact to Spiritual Sensitivity in just a few months. Do you believe that’s possible?”

“Impossible.”

A sharp gleam flashed in the Sect Leader’s eyes.

As if asking—what do you know?

“I believe something is helping Gugwi. If so… if that ancient manual the Amryu Sect discovered actually belonged to us…”

“You mean, whatever is aiding Gugwi might be able to decipher it?”

Yun Seoha hesitated briefly, then nodded.

“Yes. That’s what I think… If my guess is correct, then we gain a treasure.”

“Hm!”

The candle crackled as it burned.

Outside, the footsteps of night patrol guards gradually faded away.

After a long silence, Un Hojin nodded.

“Fine. But be careful. We still don’t know if what that boy holds is a blessing or a calamity.”

His words of approval fell heavily.

When Yun Seoha opened the door and stepped out, Yeon Sohye was already waiting in the corridor.

In the darkness, only her eyes glimmered coldly.

The torchlight cast shadows across her face.

“Since you pointed to Gugwi, I’ll go too.”

“Why bother?”

“Because we need to be in sync as a pair. We’re already more tightly bound than husband and wife, so we can’t be apart even for a moment.”

Yun Seoha grasped her arm and led her toward the end of the corridor.

Their footsteps echoed softly on the stone floor.

The shouts of the night guards calling orders grew faint in the distance.

“Tell me the real reason.”

Her voice dropped lower.

“The Spirit Flow Core—you knew about it, didn’t you?”

Yeon Sohye’s shoulders stiffened.

Her hand unconsciously reached toward the hilt of her dagger.

The cold touch of metal pressed against her palm.

“…Since when?”

“I had suspicions from the start. That kind of rapid progress can’t be explained otherwise. Then I saw him struggling to hide the blue light of the Spirit Flow Core. When did you find out?”

“For me, only a few days ago.”

“At the Spirit Essence Mine?”

“Actually… a little before that.”

Yun Seoha’s eyes sharpened.

She released Yeon Sohye’s hand and spoke coldly.

“The Blue Blood Unit will arrive soon. They’ll recognize the Spirit Flow Core immediately. This outing is just an excuse to hide Gugwi—we’re not really going to the Amryu Sect. We might even clash with the Blue Blood Unit. It’s too risky. You stay here.”

Yeon Sohye half-drew her dagger, then slid it back into the sheath.

The cold sound of metal echoed through the corridor.

“Shadow Moon Union.”

The heavy words dropped firmly into the darkness.

Members of the Shadow Moon Unit did not trust one another.

But once paired, there was a saying: die together in the same moment.

It was always a choice—to distrust one’s partner, or to become Shadow Moon Union.

Her voice carried no hesitation.

Yun Seoha frowned, looking at Yeon Sohye.

“Do you… like him?”

“It’s nothing but Shadow Moon Union.”

Yun Seoha nodded.

A fleeting emotion passed through her eyes—uncertain if it was relief or worry.

“Fine. Then let’s go together.”

---

Before dawn broke, the main gate of the Cold Wolf Sect opened quietly.

The heavy iron gate turned slowly.

Even the gatekeepers remained unaware.

The centuries-old hinges should have screeched, but even that sound was absorbed by a silver aura, vanishing completely.

Pah-at!

Yeon Sohye made Spirit Contact with So Ryeonghwa.

Her eyes flashed silver for an instant.

Then, the essence of the Silver Spirit Sword Technique flowed out in full.

From her acupoints, silver energy rose like mist, spreading outward.

The very air turned silver, cloaking the group.

It was as if moonlight had congealed into a veil.

The stone floor beneath their feet, the eaves above their heads, even their breath turned silver.

“As expected of the Silver Spirit Technique. With this, their departure will be completely concealed.”

Yun Seoha’s voice echoed within the mist.

It was all to evade Jin Hoon’s surveillance.

They knew why he had summoned the Blue Blood Unit, what he sought.

For now, they had to deceive him entirely.

Every movement within the Cold Wolf Sect was being caught in his web of surveillance, sharp as tendrils.

Gugwi followed, carrying a spear on his back.

From his Dantian, the blue light threatened to seep out again.

He hurriedly pulled his collar tighter to cover it.

But still, the glow faintly leaked through the fabric.

“This keeps bursting out… If others notice, it’ll be troublesome.”

It was a mutter to himself.

“Still, suppress it.”

Yun Seoha’s voice fell coldly.

“This is a matter of life and death. If the Blue Blood Unit sees that light even once, we’re all finished.”

The silver mist completely enveloped the group.

Their figures melted into the darkness before dawn. Not even their footsteps could be heard.

An ominous energy lingered over the mountain ridges outside the Cold Wolf Sect.

Whiiiish! Huuuuhh!

There was a sound mixed into the wind. At first, it seemed like nothing but the wind, but when listened to carefully, it was something else.

The wails of the dead.

To the ears of the living, it was just a passing breeze. But to those skilled in Soul-Summoning Arts, it was clear.

The cries of grudges clinging to the dead.

“The Soul Transformation of the Black Blood Unit.”

Yun Seoha raised her fan.

A forbidden Soul-Summoning Art that used souls as sacrifice.

Gugwi had heard rumors that the Heavenly Sound Cult used Soul Transformation, but this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes.

“This is Soul Transformation?”

“Shh! Quiet!”

Yeon Sohye’s face turned pale.

Soul Transformation was an evil technique that forcibly dragged out the souls of the dead and mingled them with the living. Strictly speaking, it twisted the resentment and spirits of the dead to attack or track the living.

The fact that Soul Transformation had appeared here meant that the Black Blood Unit of the Heavenly Sound Cult was already present.

“If the Black Blood Unit used Soul Transformation, then it means they’re chasing someone. Shouldn’t we help?”

“On the contrary, it means their target isn’t easy to capture, even with this. The Blue Blood Unit is already moving toward the Cold Wolf Sect. Once they arrive, they’ll look for Gugwi first. Let’s go.”

The group shifted direction toward the mountain path.

Tsssss!

Yeon Sohye’s silver mist thickened. Trees and rocks emerged and vanished within it like ghosts.

“Soul Transformation. Hm!”

Gugwi felt chills run down his spine. The resentment of the dead seeped through the air. With every breath, cold energy entered his lungs.

“If such things are chasing us… there’s no way to avoid it. Once this is triggered, how long do they pursue?” Gugwi asked.

“Until the end.”

Yun Seoha answered instead of Yeon Sohye.

---

Meanwhile, carrier pigeons arrived at the Black Blood Unit scouts hidden in the darkness beyond the mountain.

A small bird that had crossed the night sky landed on the shoulder of a Black Blood soldier concealed among rocks. The bamboo slip tied to its leg glimmered faintly in the moonlight.

It was urgent news sent by So Taeryeon.

The captain of the Black Blood Unit, Heuk Yeomjo, received the slip and carefully unrolled it.

The characters carved into the bamboo entered his eyes, and they gleamed.

“Gugwi… finally moved.”

Heuk Yeomjo read the slip again.

The report contained no details, only that Gugwi was heading to the Amryu Sect together with Yun Seoha of the Seven Cold Wolves.

“The fact that Yun Seoha herself is leading him…”

He muttered under his breath.

His fingers tapped against the bamboo slip.

Yun Seoha—among the Seven Cold Wolves, she was counted as one of the strongest, the Cold Wolf Sect’s greatest master. For her to personally escort Gugwi to the Amryu Sect meant the mission was of grave importance.

It was proof that Gugwi was no ordinary existence, and explained why the Heavenly Sound Cult had dispatched the Black Blood Unit.

Moreover, they had no idea the Black Blood Unit was on the move. That meant an ambush was possible.

“A fine opportunity.”

Heuk Yeomjo rolled up the bamboo slip and tucked it into his robe. Then, with a special hand signal, he silently relayed instructions to his scattered subordinates.

“Begin pursuit immediately. Wait in ambush along the paths to the Amryu Sect.”

At his order, the Black Blood soldiers hidden in the mountain began to move.

Twelve black shadows rose silently from between rocks and trees. Their movements made no sound. They dispersed like smoke, then re-formed again.

Heuk Yeomjo raised his hand and pointed forward.

There were three paths to the Amryu Sect: the fastest route, the safest route, and the roughest route.

“Split into groups of four and block each path. If you fail, consider yourselves dead.”

The eyes of the Black Blood soldiers glinted with murderous intent.

With silent gestures, they divided into three teams. Clad in black robes and black masks, they became one with the darkness as they slipped into the mountain paths.

Heuk Yeomjo glanced one last time at the corpse lying on the ground.

A Cold Wolf Sect disciple who had discovered them and tried to report back. Quick-witted, fast in movement—he was the reason they had been forced to use Soul Transformation.

“Because of you, we lost time… but that turned out to be a blessing. You helped us. Huhu!”

The corner of his lips curved coldly upward. Then, he too disappeared into the darkness.

---

The steeper the mountain path became, the thicker the mist grew.

Rocks and trees appeared and disappeared like phantoms within the silver veil. The sound of gravel rolling underfoot was the only thing breaking the silence. The path narrowed, cliffs pressing in from both sides.

Leading the way, Yun Seoha spoke.

“The ancient secret manual discovered by the Amryu Sect… though it’s an excuse, it’s not entirely a lie.”

Gugwi’s eyes widened.

From his Dantian, the blue light surged again—this time more violently, as though reacting to something.

“Looking at your Spirit Flow Core…”

Her fan stirred the air.

“…it’s clear you have a unique sensitivity. You won’t be able to decipher it directly, but with that sense, you may be able to find clues.”

Gugwi placed a hand over his chest. His heart pounded fast. Some unknown power stirred within him. He had no idea what the Spirit Flow Core was, or why it resided in him.

“But I can’t control it.”

“That’s why I brought you out. You’ll learn with practice.”

Yun Seoha said.

“Every master was once at the mercy of their own power. What matters is not giving up.”

Her voice carried the weight of certainty born from experience.