Murim Login - Chapter 634

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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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Chapter 634
Whoosh!
Beast King Miao Wang and Baek Ho did not slacken their pace. I squinted my eyes against the desolate wind that swept across my entire body.
‘That must be Ai-nao Mountain.’
Even from a distance, the treacherous terrain and deep valleys were unmistakable. Countless peaks shrouded in mist towered so high they seemed to pierce the heavens.
Perhaps it was the lingering darkness of dawn not yet dispelled. Or perhaps it was because this had once been the old headquarters of the Five Poison Sect, which had plunged the Southern Wilderness into terror in ages past. As Ai-nao Mountain drew rapidly closer, its silhouette felt dark and ominous.
That was likely why Beast King Miao Wang’s voice that followed was so deeply subdued.
“The Five Poison Sect was annihilated by our palace, yet not everything disappeared in that destruction.”
If objects remained where people had vanished, one could simply burn them away. But if those objects had developed legs, the matter became far more complicated.
“At that time, no one knew. That in the deepest recesses of Ai-nao Mountain, incomprehensible creatures left behind by the Five Poison Sect were alive and thriving.”
For over a hundred years.
The dark legacy the Five Poison Sect had left behind seeped deep into Ai-nao Mountain and took root there. Within their own domain that none dared breach, they devoured one another while simultaneously breeding, gradually swelling in numbers and strength.
“But eventually, our ancestors discovered the truth. In a way no one had wished for.”
Three hundred elite warriors of the Southern Wilderness melted away into mere pools of blood, and two Great Chieftains along with a dozen tribal leaders were torn limb from limb.
This occurred at a tribal assembly held on Ai-nao Mountain, precisely one hundred years after the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace had exterminated the Five Poison Sect.
“According to records, what attacked our palace were poisons and savage beasts rare even throughout the realm.”
Lethal toxins with no known antidote, and hundreds of ferocious creatures bearing claws and fangs harder than steel.
The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, struck by an assault no one had anticipated, was thrown into panic. They trembled upon discovering the shadow of the Five Poison Sect, an organization they had believed long extinct.
“The entire Southern Wilderness united once more. We mobilized every warrior from each tribe to encircle Ai-nao Mountain and sought to slay those creatures.”
Yet the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s attempt achieved only partial success.
Hundreds of beasts were slain and the poisons burned, but the cost was catastrophic. And in that process, invisible fractures began to form.
‘When you think about it, it was inevitable.’
Even if one ordered a single pizza to share, someone would inevitably eat more toppings while another ate less.
The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s campaign to subjugate Ai-nao Mountain followed a similar logic.
The poisons and beasts, sensing danger, appeared from all directions like spirits possessing a body, launching attacks, while the tribal leaders commanding the warriors feared their own losses.
In truth, there was no way to propose that only a few warriors from each tribe should die and split the burden equally.
“The tribes grew increasingly fractured. The fire strategy adopted as a last resort only spread beyond their control and caused greater devastation, proving insufficient to burn Ai-nao Mountain entirely.”
Thus the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was forced to withdraw from Ai-nao Mountain. Of course, this did not mean they retreated empty-handed.
“Our palace suffered severe losses, yet the threat was correspondingly reduced. Having hunted countless poisons and beasts and partially burned Ai-nao Mountain, this was perhaps a natural outcome.”
“And what happened after that?”
“Ai-nao Mountain fell silent as if nothing had ever occurred, but this time no one let their guard down. We designated the entire mountain as forbidden territory, stationed three hundred elite warriors drawn from each tribe there permanently, and every year four Great Chieftains took turns conducting small-scale subjugation operations. We maintained peace through such measures for the past hundred years.”
It was a reasonably wise compromise for the tribal leaders of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace—avoiding catastrophic losses while remaining prepared for threats from Ai-nao Mountain.
But the problem was….
“It seems that peace has finally come to an end as of today.”
I spoke in a heavily subdued voice and pointed toward the front.
At the end of the direction my finger indicated lay a gorge dark and treacherous as the entrance to Hell, and leaning against a tree sat a single figure.
Whoosh!
Beast King Miao Wang’s form shot forward like a beam of light, crossing the void to land at the gorge’s entrance.
When I dismounted from Baek Ho’s back and arrived close behind him, Beast King Miao Wang’s face standing before the figure had turned rigid as stone.
“…Too late. Already dead.”
I nodded quietly. Even without hearing his words, I would have known. Before taking more than a few steps forward, an indescribable stench assaulted my nostrils.
And there was only one cause of death that could produce such a vile odor.
‘Poison. Poison indeed.’
And an extraordinarily potent one at that. The corpse leaning against the tree with its head bowed—the foul miasma and blood seeping from it had turned the surrounding earth and grass pitch black with death.
Any martial artist of the Murim who had not mastered the Blazing Yang Technique, which drew its essence from fire energy that countered poison, would struggle to overcome the toxic vapors within thirty feet, even if they were an early-stage master at their peak.
–
A low growl escaped Baek Ho’s throat.
I stroked the tiger’s furrowed brow and opened my mouth.
“Do you recognize the face?”
“There’s something familiar about it. They must be one of the warriors stationed at Ai-nao Mountain.”
“Do you typically post sentries at the entrance?”
“Of course not. Every hand is precious for contingencies at Ai-nao Mountain. The mountain spans such a vast area that there are three or four villages nearby, but they understand this reality well.”
In other words, this had been a strictly controlled zone for ages, so additional sentries were unnecessary. And that meant….
‘This person came down from the mountain. Fleeing from something.’
I lifted my head and surveyed the surroundings.
Beyond the thick darkness, faint but unmistakable footprints remained. At a glance, they were clearly human tracks. No signs of beasts or toxic substances were visible.
And one more thing.
“There are wounds. Look at the corpse’s ribs.”
Just as Beast King Miao Wang said, the corpse’s ribs showed clothing torn as if raked by claws, and the skin was entirely blackened.
“It’s not a weapon wound, at least. It looks like something rough and powerful merely grazed it….”
“That’s what makes poison so terrifying. Even the slightest wound can bring death in moments.”
Merely scratched, yet this severe? Was this the Formless Supreme Poison that Jeok Cheon-gang once suffered?
Tearing my gaze from the corpse, I stared into the darkness-shrouded valley. I had not witnessed it directly, yet a scene seemed to flicker through my mind.
That nameless soul must have been rushing through this treacherous valley mere moments ago. Afflicted by the extreme poison, stumbling and staggering, fleeing in blind panic before meeting death beneath that tree.
It was tragic, but what mattered more to me now was the identity of what had brought this person to their end.
‘Is it Dark Heaven, or is it poison from Ai-nao Mountain itself? Or perhaps….’
Poison from Ai-nao Mountain being manipulated by Dark Heaven.
With these unanswered questions lingering, I turned my gaze to Beast King Miao Wang.
“It seems there’s only one answer left.”
“Indeed.”
Beast King Miao Wang’s voice rumbled like an enraged beast.
“I need to see with my own eyes whose handiwork this is.”
Ding.
Investigation of Ai-nao Mountain (Incomplete)
Time Remaining
: 01:24:32
* * *
Though it should have been the dim hours of dawn, Ai-nao Mountain remained shrouded in thick darkness.
No—what existed here was far more than mere darkness.
‘The scent of blood.’
The metallic scent of blood, which had become familiar at some point, served as an invisible guide. Beast King Miao Wang and I, racing through the mountains in pursuit of the footprints left by the dead, turned our direction without hesitation, chasing the blood scent carried on the humid wind.
And finally, we could discover it.
Numerous corpses scattered across the mountain ridge, and the distinctive stench of extreme poison that even overwhelmed the thick blood scent.
“…!”
“…!”
How many could there be? A hundred? Or more?
The ominous premonition I had felt when first encountering the corpse in the valley had become reality.
Flames ignited in Beast King Miao Wang’s eyes at the horrific sight unfolding before us.
“What bastard dares to tear them to death…!”
As the master of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, his reaction was natural. But instead of sharing his rage, I calmly drew upon my martial power, erected a qi barrier to block any sound that might escape, and examined the corpses.
‘Fractures. Contusions. Severed limbs. Poisoning.’
Unlike before, the causes of death for those who had fallen here were diverse beyond poisoning alone. Some had their limbs crushed to death, and many others had parts of their necks and other areas torn away by some unknown, tremendous force.
‘If they were elite enough to be stationed at Ai-nao Mountain, they must have possessed considerable martial skill.’
That such warriors had met such a gruesome fate.
Based on what I had gathered so far, only a select few individuals like Beast King Miao Wang and Baek Sang stood out, while most Southern Wilderness warriors fell short compared to those of the Central Plains.
But even accounting for that, elite warriors would be at minimum first-rate, or exceptionally rare masters at their peak.
‘Moreover, Southern Wilderness warriors never fight alone. If we consider the beasts that accompany them, their combined strength would rival that of a major sect from the Central Plains….’
As I continued my thoughts, I suddenly faltered at an encroaching sense of discord. And the moment I saw Baek Ho, circling cautiously with a low growl, I grasped the nature of that discord.
‘The beasts. Where have the beasts gone?’
The beasts that always clung to the warriors like a single body. Those creatures were nowhere to be seen.
Even as I hurriedly scanned the surroundings, it was the same. Among the corpses numbering over a hundred, only three or four beast carcasses were visible.
“What on earth…?”
The moment I voiced the question that had taken root in my mind.
Sssshhh.
“…!”
A chilling aura carried on the wind, piercing like an awl.
Both I, bewildered, and Beast King Miao Wang, barely suppressing his surging rage, snapped our heads around like lightning.
Simultaneously, we could see it. Could hear it.
Rustle.
The grass far in the distance, trembling faintly. Darkness undulating like something alive. And….
–
Grrrrrowl.
The low growl of some creature crouched within the grass-shrouded darkness, as deep as the abyss itself.
Thud.
In the slowed world, darkness tramples through the grass and moves.
Cloaked entirely in shadow as it approached us, it was far larger than any beast I had ever seen, and its pale blue eyes held an unmistakable fury and majesty.
‘Black Tiger.’
With that single word flashing through my mind like lightning, Baek Ho’s entire body trembled.
Kraaaaaaaaagh!
Simultaneous with the roar that tore through the darkness and shook heaven and earth, a familiar bell tone pierced my ears.
Ding.
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[Spirit of Ai-nao Mountain]
has appeared!

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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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