Its terrain is as rugged as the Five Great Mountains, and its valleys are famously deep.
Unlike the Five Great Mountains, which are filled with pure or spiritual energy, this mountain is steeped in malevolent energy, rarely trodden by human feet.
Its peaks are shrouded in mist and clouds year-round, making Mount Ainae difficult to even glimpse from the ground.
Consequently, it is sparsely populated, and its forests of giant trees are said to be teeming with venomous snakes and ferocious beasts, deterring even herb gatherers.
At the end of the winding Ainae mountain range, which stretches over a hundred li, stands a solitary mountain—Mount Hwadu, the recent center of attention in the martial world.
Connected to Mount Ainae, it too possesses strong yin and malevolent energy, a place people avoid.
To this once-desolate place, many martial artists were now flocking.
Hwa Mujin and the Poison Emperor, heading for Mount Hwadu, were having a light meal at a small inn in Banzhihua, on the outskirts of Sichuan.
“I told you we should rest once we reach Yong’in, just a little further.”
The Poison Emperor grumbled, belying his age, as he stirred his noodles with his chopsticks.
“Banzhihua, Yong’in, what’s the difference? The sun has set, why push the horses?”
“Banzhihua is in Sichuan, and Yong’in is in Yunnan. Aren’t they clearly different?”
“Going a little further won’t get us there any sooner. No need to make a fuss. Anyway, there are quite a few martial artists here too.”
Mujin commented, looking around at the considerable number of people carrying weapons, despite the small size of the inn.
“They all share our destination.”
“Tsk, tsk. As if there’s anything to scavenge. They might get themselves into trouble for nothing. Why are so many people flocking to a place when they don’t even know what’s there?”
“They’re hoping for a chance. There might be a hidden manual from a past master.”
“Who knows what will happen to them there? So greedy for martial arts. Like moths to a flame, they are, flying into it without knowing they’ll die.”
The Poison Emperor nodded, then noticed the energy barrier Mujin had set up around them and asked.
“It’s quite stable. Did something good happen?”
“Just ask me directly. Since when did you start beating around the bush? The Kongtong Sect gave me the Three Yin Five Yang Elixir.”
!
“Th-that? Did you threaten them?”
Mujin put down his chopsticks and looked at the Poison Emperor.
“I’m not some common thug. What do you take me for?”
“The Divine Demon.”
“…I’d sooner kill them than resort to threats just because I covet something…”
Mujin trailed off mid-sentence.
He recalled the times he had threatened members of the underworld and swindlers to raise his impoverished family.
“Tsk. Do you think the Kongtong Sect would just hand over something so precious because I threatened them? They gave it as a token of reconciliation and remorse.”
“I see… Then your internal energy…”
“I’ve completed two full cycles.”
“…Then will you really regain your former level in a year?”
“A year… Well, two years at the most, and I’ll have perfected the Nine Swords of Dugu and roughly reached my previous state.”
The Poison Emperor nodded at Mujin’s words.
“Incredible.”
“Anyway, if you’re done eating, let’s go up. We have to ride early tomorrow as well.”
Having finished their light meal, the two set off on their horses before sunrise the next day.
After riding for seven days even within Yunnan, they reached Chuxiong, left their horses at a village inn, and began to run along the main road.
“It’ll be swarming with martial artists when we arrive, won’t it?”
The Poison Emperor nodded at Mujin’s remark.
“I suppose so. I hope a bloodbath hasn’t broken out.”
“It seems like people from both the righteous and unorthodox factions are gathering. You never know.”
At those words, the Poison Emperor nodded, his eyes deep and somber.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, the two had reached the forest leading to Mount Hwadu.
The forest they arrived at was dark, with little sunlight penetrating through, and had a strong, gloomy aura.
“It’s quite gloomy.”
“Indeed. Why would someone build a sword tomb in a place like this?”
“Who knows. Let’s go and see.”
Mujin and the Poison Emperor walked through the pathless forest toward Mount Hwadu.
After walking for some time, the Poison Emperor suddenly stopped.
“Why?”
“Can’t you feel it?”
“What? I’m not sure.”
“…”
The Poison Emperor stared ahead for a moment, then began to scan his eyes left and right.
“It’s a snake formation. A rather large one at that.”
“A snake formation?”
“A formation made of venomous snakes. They’ve released at least ten thousand of them. Who would do something so wicked…”
At the Poison Emperor’s words, Mujin cautiously took another step forward.
-*Ssssh! Ssssh!*
-*Swish!*
Instantly, two jet-black snakes shot up from the ground and lunged at Mujin, only to be sliced by his hand-blade and fall to the ground.
Seeing the black snakes still writhing and coiling on the ground even after being decapitated, Mujin furrowed his brow.
“They made a formation with snakes like these? There can’t be many who can do such a thing.”
“There aren’t many sects that command snakes. I know of two in the Western Regions, the Three Poisonous Old Freaks in the Tianshan Mountains, and in the Unorthodox Faction, there’s the fourth family of Samu-cheon, the Serpent Blood Alliance.”
“The sects from the Western Regions wouldn’t be crazy enough to come all the way to the Central Plains for an unknown sword tomb. So it’s either the ones from Tianshan or Samu-cheon, right?”
“Probably.”
At the Poison Emperor’s words, Mujin’s frown deepened.
“Let’s just break through. We can just kill the damn snakes.”
“Wait. Even venomous snakes are living creatures. There’s no need to kill them.”
Saying so, the Poison Emperor took out a wine flask made from a gourd, slightly larger than his palm, from his sleeve.
“Have a drink.”
“In the middle of the day?”
“I’ve mixed a little of my blood poison into this White Spirit Wine.”
“…”
Mujin stared silently at the Poison Emperor.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a poison that causes seizures. I mixed in my own vital blood, which contains my essence. The alcoholic spirit will simply circulate my poison’s energy through your body. It will last for a couple of hours at most, though.”
“Well, I’ll be. I never thought the day would come when I’d drink the Tang Clan’s poisoned wine with my own hands.”
With that, Mujin took the flask from the Poison Emperor’s hand and took a swig.
“Kuh. The wine tastes good.”
As soon as he drank, Mujin felt the warmth of the alcohol spread through his stomach, heating his body. He handed the flask back to the Poison Emperor.
The Poison Emperor stored the flask back in his sleeve and walked forward, saying.
“Just follow me.”
-*Sssssss.*
As the Poison Emperor strode into the snake formation and slightly raised his aura, hidden snakes from all directions lifted their heads, flicking their tongues at him and Mujin.
The venomous snakes made unpleasant noises but, suppressed by the Poison Emperor’s toxic aura, they dared not attack.
Walking in a zigzag pattern as if searching for something, the Poison Emperor’s figure blurred for a moment as he shot his hand into the undergrowth.
-*Sshhaaaaaaak!*
In his hand was a bright red snake.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. So you’re the master snake of this formation. It’s a pity, but I can’t let you live.”
-*Snap!*
The Poison Emperor twisted the snake’s head, snapping it off.
At the same moment, the sound of snakes slithering away came from all directions.
“Are they scattering?”
“A snake formation breaks once you kill the master snake that maintains it. I wonder what kind of wicked person did this.”
“We’ll find out when we get there.”
On their way from Sichuan, they had seen countless martial artists heading for Mount Hwadu.
Even now, many more were surely coming up behind them.
It was clear the snake formation had been set up to target the martial artists seeking Mount Hwadu.
The Poison Emperor and Mujin walked on, their gazes somber.
When they reached the entrance of Mount Hwadu, they began to see other martial artists.
Seeing some people descending the mountain bleeding, and others hesitating to ascend after encountering them, Mujin and the Poison Emperor listened in on their conversation.
“So, are you saying the Serpent Blood Alliance is blocking the entrance to the sword tomb?”
“That’s right. Those crazy bastards are insisting the sword tomb belongs to them.”
“But… how can a sword tomb have an owner…?”
“What can you do when those Unorthodox bastards are so insistent? This friend of mine argued with them and ended up like this.”
The man’s wrist was wrapped with a blood-soaked cloth, looking as if his hand had been severed.
“You should turn back too, unless you want to get hurt.”
“Hah… We just came to have a look…”
Seeing the martial artists unable to proceed past the entrance at the mention of the Serpent Blood Alliance, the Poison Emperor sent a telepathic message.
-*So, the ones who set up the snake formation have shown themselves.*
-*Indeed.*
Among the martial artists flocking to the entrance of Mount Hwadu, a few continued to climb the mountain even after hearing the conversation.
Mujin and the Poison Emperor were among them.
-*What should we do about the ones blocking the way?*
Mujin looked at the Poison Emperor in response to his question.
-*Why are you asking me? You’re the one who wanted to come.*
-*Hmm… It would be ridiculous to turn back now because of those fools, wouldn’t it?*
-*That’s why we’re going up.*
-*So, I should be the one to act?*
-*There’s no need to get our hands dirty, is there? Do you think they’d dare block the path of the Tang Clan’s Grand Patriarch?*
The Poison Emperor shook his head at Mujin’s telepathic message.
-*Using my name seems a bit much, don’t you think?*
-*So you do realize it’s embarrassing to be snooping around a sword tomb at your age?*
“Ahem!”
-*Forget it. We’ll assess the situation at the entrance. If we have to act, we will. Otherwise, we can just push our way through.*
As they slowly ascended the mountain, quite a few people used their movement techniques to pass them.
Among them were martial artists in familiar uniforms.
-*Isn’t that the Diancang Sect?*
The Poison Emperor, who had subtly turned his face away, replied to Mujin’s question.
-*They arrived quickly. I thought it would take them longer.*
-*Did you do something to offend the Diancang Sect?*
Seeing the Poison Emperor turn his face away as the Diancang Sect members passed, Mujin asked. The Poison Emperor took a human-skin mask from his sleeve, put it on, and said.
“You said it yourself. It’s embarrassing for someone my age to be acting so frivolously.”
“…Do you have another one of those?”
The Poison Emperor took out another human-skin mask and offered it to Mujin.
“Why do you need one?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea to show my face.”
Taking advantage of a moment when all the other martial artists had passed, the two put on the human-skin masks and continued their ascent.
How far had they climbed? Just past the midway point, they began to sense the presence of many martial artists and hear loud voices.
“I’ve already told you. The Serpent Blood Alliance discovered this place first, so it naturally belongs to us. Why is the Diancang Sect interfering with us protecting our property?”
The young martial artists of the Diancang Sect frowned at the middle-aged master, who appeared to be from the Serpent Blood Alliance.
“How can a single organization claim ownership of a sword tomb found on Mount Hwadu? This mountain is naturally desolate, with no one living here. To be precise, it’s located in Yunnan, so at the very least, our Diancang Sect has more of a claim than the Serpent Blood Alliance.”
The middle-aged man smiled at the young martial artist and spoke.
“And that is why I said the members of the Diancang Sect are welcome to enter anytime. We’re letting you in, yet you still pick a fight?”
The young masters of the Diancang Sect were already aware that numerous martial artists had entered the sword tomb.
Among them, there were surely a good number of Serpent Blood Alliance members.
They had no intention of recklessly entering the sword tomb, where who-knows-what dangers awaited.
“I’ve already said it. A sword tomb cannot be owned by anyone. You must not block the path and harm other martial artists!”
“How frustrating. You claim to seek change, even abandoning your Taoist roots, yet you’re so rigid. How do you expect to adapt to the secular world? The secular world has its own laws. You could call them customs. An ownerless treasure belongs to whoever finds it. Have you never heard of such a thing?”
-*Kekeke.*
-*Pfft.*
-*Hahaha.*
At the middle-aged master’s words, the Serpent Blood Alliance members blocking the entrance behind him burst into laughter.
The middle-aged man from the Serpent Blood Alliance was openly making a mockery of the Diancang Sect members with his wordplay.
However, the Diancang Sect members could not easily draw their swords and charge.
They had noticed that the middle-aged man’s aura was at a level only a master who had reached a higher realm could display.
The young first-generation disciples, who had come as an advance party to assess the situation after hearing that warriors from the Serpent Blood Alliance had crossed into Yunnan and were heading for Mount Hwadu, could only grind their teeth, unable to act rashly, and wait for their elder to arrive.
Once an elder from their sect arrived, they believed they could easily defeat this group of heretics who were mocking them.
Just as the Diancang disciples and various other martial artists were in a standoff at the entrance of the sword tomb.
Two men wearing crude human-skin masks pushed through the crowd and headed for the entrance.
-*Shwiiik!*
The two men’s advance was halted as the middle-aged master instantly drew his sword and unleashed a wave of sword energy.
The sword energy shot past their feet, carving a long gash in the ground.
The watching martial artists swallowed nervously as they saw the sword energy slice through weeds and dead grass, digging into the dark earth.
Among the martial artists present, none had clearly seen the middle-aged master draw his sword and release the energy.
That was how fast the single strike was, from the draw to the release of energy.
After a brief glance at the mark left by the sword energy on the ground, the two men started walking again.
“That’s a line I drew to say you’ll die if you cross it…”
The middle-aged master trailed off, a murderous smile on his face.
In response, Mujin, wearing a shoddily placed human-skin mask, continued walking and said.
“You seem fond of customs, so I’m just trying to follow the customs of the Murim.”
“Customs?”
“In the Murim, might makes right.”
