Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 203: Blue Light (9)

The leader of the Five Venoms Sect's assassination unit, Shadow Spider Um Yeong-ju, had been tasked with monitoring Oh Cheong-yu on the orders of the sect leader.

Now, he withdrew his bloodied hand from the arrogant brat's side—the one who had just tried to break the fragile illusion of the Five Venoms Explosive Submersion Technique.

Drip, drip.Under the moonlight, his hand was painted red with blood.

A few drops of blood fell, staining the sand beneath him, and the insolent fool collapsed face-first into the ground.

Without hesitation, Um Yeong-ju swiftly struck Oh Cheong-yu’s pressure points, rendering her unconscious before she could fully break free from the technique’s manipulation.

"That was close... If this had gone any further, the great plan would have been ruined."

If the army centipede and Fenghyeol had been experimental tools to see whether creatures could create a Neidan by consuming humans,

Then Oh Cheong-yu was the reverse experiment—an attempt to see whether a human could form a Neidan by consuming the bodies of various spirit beasts.

If the technique had been completely broken, they would have had to harvest her Neidan prematurely, before it had fully matured.

They had been working to reinforce the artificial memories created by the Five Venoms Explosive Submersion Technique.

Since the ability to implant memories wasn’t perfect, its effectiveness depended entirely on how many people around her reinforced those false memories.

The more people treated the illusion as reality, the more solid it became.

That was why she had been slowly conditioned to believe that the leader of the Five Venoms Sect was her father.

And to further strengthen her role, they needed a deeper connection—one either as a child to a parent or as a wife to a husband.

That was why they had planned for her to marry a son-in-law from the Tang Clan.

They expected So-ryong to succumb and be assimilated into their sect.

But...

That brat had proven to be far too clever.

With just a few careless words from Oh Cheong-yu and a glimpse of the silver needles,

He had figured it all out.

His cold gaze settled on So-ryong’s unconscious body.

As he reached for Oh Cheong-yu’s head to reinforce the technique,

Rumble...A massive tremor shook the ground.

Alarmed, Um Yeong-ju grabbed Oh Cheong-yu and leapt backward.

What he saw next—

Was a giant rock, rising from the sand under the moonlight.

Sand poured off its surface, and a thick cloud of dust filled the air.

"W-What the hell is that?!"

As he retreated, the leader of the Blade Blood Squad shouted.

"Shadow Spider! This... this must be that place Fenghyeol never dared enter!"

As soon as he heard those words, Um Yeong-ju recalled something.

There had been one area in the desert where Fenghyeol refused to set foot.

A perfect circle marked on the map.

Despite numerous investigations ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) by the Five Venoms Sect,

They had never figured out why.

Um Yeong-ju and the warriors of the Five Venoms Sect hesitated, waiting for the dust to settle.

And when it did—

They saw a strange rock formation, about two arm spans in height.

It wasn’t an ordinary desert rock,

Because instead of the usual weathered, wind-carved shape,

It was made of perfectly hexagonal pillars, clustered together like a natural fortress.

"Could that be the reason...?"

"It seems likely."

Tsrrrrrr!A sorrowful cry echoed through the air.

The wail of a Qinghua Centipede hatchling.

Um Yeong-ju narrowed his eyes and gave an order.

"That structure may be an entrance to something. Have the warriors investigate. And bring me the Qinghua Centipede hatchling—it’ll be useful for stabilizing the young lady."

Judging by its appearance,

It could very well be a passage leading underground.

As he pondered the last known recluse of the martial world in Qinghai,

The leader of the Blade Blood Squad issued commands.

"Understood! You lot—go down and search for an entrance! And capture the Qinghua Centipede hatchling!"

"...Sir?"

At his command, some warriors approached the rock formation, while others chased the hatchling down the sand dunes.

"You take this side, we’ll check the other."

"Understood."

A few warriors began examining the rock, while another group tried to capture the Qinghua Centipede hatchling.

Tsrrrr!"Careful—it’s aggressive!"

"It’s too wild!

We’ll need something to restrain it."

At that moment, one of the warriors noticed something strange—

A slightly unnatural rock at the base of the formation.

When he brushed his hand across its surface—

The rock shifted.

With a soft grinding noise,

A black stone mechanism emerged from within.

It looked like a part of a larger device, moving like a living organism.

"Sir! There’s something here—!"

The warrior turned excitedly to report his discovery.

But then—

The moonlight vanished, as if something had blocked it.

"...Huh?"

And then—

A massive stone slab crashed down from above.

Crack.The warrior was instantly pulverized.

Not even a corpse remained—only a scattered pile of flesh on the sand.

Rumble...Under the moonlight,

The stone formation rose.

"W-What the hell is that?!"

"Everyone—fall back!"

The ground collapsed, swallowing up those who tried to flee.

The monolithic structure came alive,

Crushing every warrior in its path.

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And their screams—

Were drowned out by the howling winds of the desert.

***

Even though it was the middle of the night,

It was blindingly bright.

I could hardly see anything.

But as my eyes adjusted,

The first thing I saw—

Was Dad.

His body—wrapped around me—

Drenched in red.

And then—

I saw where the red had come from.

The same hand that had struck me away—

Had been buried deep in Dad’s side.

Tsrrr! Tsrrr! 『Dad! Dad!』I could feel his energy fading.

The red was draining him away.

I clung to him, trying desperately to stop it.

But I couldn’t.

It just kept flowing—

Endlessly.

If this continued—

Dad’s energy would disappear completely.

I didn’t know what that meant,

But I knew it was bad.

Because even just feeling his energy fade filled me with dread.

I had to wake him up.

I had to stop it.

But I didn’t know how.

And then—

Suddenly,

The people around me started closing in.

They were coming for me.

But I still had to help Dad.

Tsrrrr! 『Go away! I said, go away!』"Be careful, it's aggressive!"

"We can’t catch it by hand. We need something like tongs...."

Tsrrrr! 『Mom! Cho unnie! Bini!』As the humans closed in, cornering her, Hyang fled under Dad's unmoving body, her energy shrinking.

And at that moment—

Crunch.The glowing mass that had been illuminating the surroundings shifted.

And then—

One of the human presences disappeared.

Rumble...The glowing mass rose, and the oppressive auras of those who had tormented Dad and Hyang began to extinguish.

Crunch! Thud!"GYAHHH! R-RUN!"

"RETREAT!"

Each time the giant luminous being struck the ground, more presences vanished.

Before long, the surrounding energy had completely disappeared, and even those who remained had fled to one side.

As the dust settled over the desert, a voice was heard.

No—

Rather than a voice, it was something Hyang felt—

Like when she talked to Dad.

Grumble... 『Hearing the dawn lark cry, I thought I would take my morning bath with my mate in the Spirit Water... But what is this? This thing is supposed to be a father?』Startled by the confused voice, Hyang turned to the light and cried out.

Tsrrrr! 『Something's wrong with Dad! Red water is coming out! Please help him!』

Grumble... 『You’re saying that a human is your father? Are you sure? Something feels off. You’re an O-gong, and your father is a human? Are you not mistaken?』

Tsrrrr! 『He is my dad! Moonlight!』

...Huh? 『M-Moonlight?』

The glowing being hesitated, confused by Hyang calling it "Moonlight."

But Hyang desperately explained about her Dad—

Everything, from the moment she woke up, to the way he had always protected her.

Tsrrr. Tsrrrr.As her explanation ended, the bright mass moved up and down as if pondering something,

And then, an even brighter light descended over Dad’s body.

It was so bright that Hyang’s antennae stung.

Then, the voice spoke again.

Grumble... 『Your dad is losing something called blood. When humans lose too much of it, they die. I don’t know if this will help. But... it’s the only thing I can do.』

Drip.

Something small fell from the tip of the glowing mass, landing on Dad’s wounded side.

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And then—

A strange sound echoed.

Crack... crackle...The moment the droplet touched Dad’s wound,

The red water stopped flowing.

And then—

His soft skin—

It hardened, covering the wound.

Like Hyang’s own body when she strengthened it.

It looked almost like stone,

And Dad’s fading energy finally stabilized.

Hyang felt relief—

But only for a moment.

Because—

Something unexpected happened.

The energy leaking from Dad’s body began flowing toward the glowing being.

And then—

A startled voice.

Grumble!? 『W-What the hell is this?!』***

When I regained consciousness,

I was face-down on a crimson desert.

An endless expanse of red sand.

Above me, the scorching sun burned in the sky.

I hastily reached for my side.

But—

No wound.

A thought hit me.

"No way..."

Did Hyang evolve because my life was in danger?

My last memory was getting stabbed by those Five Venoms bastards and bleeding out—

But now, I was alone in this desert, uninjured, and even my clothes were intact.

And the sun was shining brightly.

Which meant—

This was probably a Mindscape.

Considering my past experiences, the odds were nearly 100%.

And since the only poison beast around me was Hyang,

She was the only one who could have dragged me into her Mindscape.

"Hyang- evolved! Alright, then... what did she evolve into?"

I felt a surge of excitement—

But then, a new concern hit me.

If Hwa-jeong was with Hwayang, then what about Hyang?

What exactly had she evolved into?

"Did she burrow into the sand and absorb its energy? Ugh... but she should’ve evolved in a safe place... Did she manage to hide herself properly? I was bleeding before I passed out, so—"

Wait.

Why was I worrying about Hyang?

I should be worrying about myself.

Because I had been ambushed by the Five Venoms bastards and grievously wounded.

"I’m... not dead.

But something’s definitely off."

Since this was a Mindscape, I knew I wasn’t dead.

But what if I woke up and found myself captured by those bastards?

No use dwelling on it.

First, I needed to find Hyang.

Worrying about the outside world wouldn’t do me any good.

I needed to focus.

If I stabilized my thoughts,

I would naturally understand my situation when I woke up.

"Hyang! Hyang! Dad’s here!"

I called out as I scanned my surroundings.

Then—

Beyond the distant sands—

I saw a mountain of rock.

It flickered like a mirage,

But in Mindscapes, unique landmarks usually meant something important.

So I headed toward it.

After walking for what felt like an eternity,

Completely baked under the sun—

I finally reached the rocky terrain.

As I stepped into the shadows of the cliffs,

I continued calling.

"Hyang! Hyang!"

And then—

Something lunged at me like a beast.

Thud!I was pinned down.

Crunch."Urgh!"

I gasped at the impact,

And the figure straddling me—

Had ashen-gray hair tied tightly back.

Sun-scorched, sand-colored clothes.

Eyes that held the sharp gaze of an aged warrior.

Her body scarred all over—

Evidence of countless battles.

An overwhelming presence radiated from her.

But what stood out the most—

Was the long scar cutting across one of her eyes.

Who was this?

I opened my mouth in shock.

"Wh-Who are you?"