Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 68

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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68.

To keep the Unknown Man in sight, Cheonhaerang pushed through the crowd and walked quickly.
Then he arrived at a space where no more people were visible—a place truly devoid of anyone.
An empty white space. Cheonhaerang realized this was no longer the Funeral Hall.

“Gihyeongrang.”

Cheonhaerang called out the man’s name and stopped walking. Only then did the man halt.
A sword had appeared in Cheonhaerang’s hand.
Gihyeongrang stopped and turned to face Cheonhaerang.
A subtly undulating blue aura. The aura flowed from Cheonhaerang’s sword.
Gihyeongrang saw the sword. In an instant, his insides roiled.
A fury that surged even greater than when he saw the Palju Talisman.
The Sword of Spiritual Dao. It was with Cheonhaerang.
That sword the Patriarch had given him.
The Patriarch had sealed the Evil Spirit with that sword.
Ha. Gihyeongrang let out a cold sneer and swept his hair back. Vivid blue veins stood out on the back of his hand.
But soon he suppressed his rage. He feigned composure and smiled.

“It has been a long time, Your Highness. I hope you have been well?”
“Why are you here?”

Cheonhaerang looked ready to charge at Gihyeongrang at any moment.
Gihyeongrang answered as though it were obvious.

“Surely that is clear? Imdonggu is a student I hold quite dear.”
“That’s ridiculous.”

As Cheonhaerang spoke those cold words, white light spread across the ground. Branches erupting from the light instantly coiled around Gihyeongrang’s body.
Gihyeongrang made no attempt to resist and was captured without struggle. He merely curled the corners of his mouth upward, looking down at Cheonhaerang with intrigued eyes.

“What is your purpose?”
“My, you truly do not believe me. How unfortunate.”
“Gihyeongrang!”

With a sharp crack, a pristine white chain spun out from the light and coiled around Gihyeongrang’s neck.
It tightened as though it would snap his neck in an instant. Yet he knew this chain could never break his neck.
A single gesture from him would make it all disappear.
To prove this, he touched the branch binding his body with a light tap. The branch immediately burst into flames and vanished.
The chain around his neck remained unchanged.
Watching Gihyeongrang deflect the attack so effortlessly, Cheonhaerang pressed his lips together and adjusted his grip on his sword.
With a sharp sound, the chain gripping Gihyeongrang’s neck pulled taut. Yet Gihyeongrang continued advancing toward Cheonhaerang, one step at a time.
Flames ignited along the Sword of Spiritual Dao. The fire dragon split into multiple branches and extended toward Gihyeongrang, but dissipated before reaching him.
As Gihyeongrang drew closer, Cheonhaerang felt goosebumps rising across his skin.
His hands trembled. He had felt this fear before.
When he had witnessed the Evil Spirit.
This aura filling the space resembled the Evil Spirit more than Gihyeongrang himself.
It shouldn’t be possible.
It shouldn’t be happening yet.
…Or could it?
Could he be certain?
If he were becoming an Evil Spirit himself, wouldn’t it be possible?
Jingle.
A bell chimed.
Following his will, something massive appeared behind Cheonhaerang.
A Four Spirit with the body of a tortoise and the head of a dragon—the Spiritual Tortoise.
Light emanated from the Spiritual Tortoise’s body, and with that light, the creature vanished.
A perfect shield—the Spiritual Tortoise’s shell enveloped Cheonhaerang completely.
Gihyeongrang stopped walking. The Spiritual Tortoise’s shell was something he could not break.
It did not accept him.
Not yet.
But soon, all the Heavenly Talismans would fall into his hands.
When the Evil Spirit awakened and this world knelt beneath his feet, the time was not far away.
For that day, he could endure even this humiliation.

“You asked what my purpose was, Your Majesty.”

The chain around Gihyeongrang’s neck turned to ash and vanished.

“Your Majesty, I am…”

Clang!
Several fragments flew from somewhere and embedded themselves in the shell. They did not pierce through it.
Gihyeongrang met Cheonhaerang’s gaze directly and continued speaking.

“They absolutely adore humans drowning in sorrow.”

And then Gihyeongrang vanished.
Cheonhaerang failed to catch him.

* * *

I had been following without losing sight of him, yet somewhere along the way, he disappeared.
He wasn’t heading to the restroom at all.
I searched for him, but no matter how hard I looked, he remained nowhere to be found.
My heart raced with worry for him. I wasn’t ready to experience loss again.
I paced anxiously through the hallway, searching for him, glancing in every direction.
That was when it happened.

“Jiho?”

A warm voice called out to me. The moment I turned and spotted him, I bolted toward him without hesitation.
Ignoring the stares of those around me, I threw my arms around him tightly.
Caught off guard, Cheonhaerang embraced me in return.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

He received no answer. Instead, only my head shook slightly against his chest.
Cheonhaerang gently stroked my hair as I buried my face deep into his embrace. Then, with a playful lilt to his voice, he asked.

“Did you miss me that much?”
“…Yes.”
“Huh?”

Since he hadn’t expected an honest answer, Cheonhaerang couldn’t help but be taken aback.
He asked again, flustered.

“Really?”
“So don’t leave me and go anywhere.”
“….”
“Don’t go, Cheonhaerang.”

There was something desperate in my voice.
Blinking in surprise, Cheonhaerang soon broke into a soft smile and whispered to me.

“I understand, Jiho. I won’t go anywhere.”

That was the moment. With a sharp crack, the lights in the hallway went out.

“What? What’s happening?”
“Is it a power outage?”

The murmuring voices of confused people pierced my ears. I lifted my head from Cheonhaerang’s embrace.
Cheonhaerang stared at something with a hardened expression.
I pulled away from Cheonhaerang’s embrace. He released me without resistance.
I felt a desolate energy enveloping me. And at the same time, screams erupted from all directions.

“Kyaaaah!”
“Ahhh! Someone help!”

People rushed out of the funeral parlor. The funeral hall building itself had turned pitch black.
In the chaos, the staff members guiding people were nowhere to be seen.
No, the staff were visible. But their eyes were bloodshot red with pitch-black pupils.
They were human, yet not human.
They were demons.

“Help me! Someone save us!”

The demons, born from consuming human impurity, were attempting to devour the living humans.
With a brilliant flash, light emanated from beneath Cheonhaerang’s feet, ensnaring the demons.

Kekeke. Oh, what a delicious morsel we have here?

The voice was eerily grotesque. Before I knew it, more demons had drawn close to us.
The demons were writhing masses on the ground.

A divine beast.
A young divine beast. A young divine beast.
Young divine beasts taste so good!

They were clearly targeting me.
The masses lunged at us in an instant.
With a brilliant flash!
The masses were sliced by the Sword of Spiritual Dao. Yet they only split apart without disappearing.

Shinsu. Shinsu!
Young Shinsu.
Young Shinsu tastes so good!

The voices of the demons echoed and repeated like reverberations.
I pulled out my gun and fired at the demons. Chunks burst apart in blue light.
Cheonhaerang spoke.

“We need to get out of here too.”

From the aura he sensed, the demons were multiplying by the moment.
They had once been human. The humans who couldn’t escape the building had been captured by the demons.
I switched my gun to a bow. Seowangmo’s pristine white bow gleamed.
The bowstring drew taut, and the arrow flew to embed itself in the center of the hallway.
Then suddenly light burst forth with a sharp crack. The light seeped everywhere, erasing the demons.
The demons that had once been human returned to their original forms.
But from the staircase, more demons came rushing down in a torrent. There was no end to it this way.
As Cheonhaerang said, it was more efficient to escape outside.
My body transformed. As Baekho, I let out a sound toward Cheonhaerang.

“Growl! (Get on!)”
“Huh?”

In the moment Cheonhaerang hesitated, looking at my back, I grabbed the hem of his clothes in my teeth and threw him onto my back.
Then I dashed forward at full speed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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