Murim Login - Chapter 675

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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 675
I had considered that location from the start, but I still held doubts. The Southern Wilderness stretched across an impossibly vast expanse, and I was merely a Korean who didn’t even properly understand the geography of the Central Plains.
In truth, among all the martial artists in the world, there was probably no hybrid quite like me.
‘In the Central Plains, I’m essentially a foreigner. In the Southern Wilderness, I’m equally an outsider through and through.’
Being what I was, there was no way I could know precisely where we were heading or where we would stop.
Moreover, Mu Ya-ho was a spiritual creature that understood human speech, but not one capable of speaking it.
Therefore, when Baek Ho’s pace finally slowed, I realized it.
‘Damn it, this cursed premonition is actually coming true.’
The mountain’s silhouette alone was enough to evoke an ominous dread.
Ai-nao Mountain, which I had returned to in mere days, remained unchanged. Dark, chilling, and beyond the swirling mist came the stench of blood.
In short, it was a place where my mood turned to absolute shit no matter when I arrived.
For Ai-nao Mountain alone, it shouldn’t be written as a mountain at all—it should be written with some character representing pure misery. That’s how fitting it would be.
“…Is it really here?”
–
Grrrrowl.
“You know your tail gets ripped off if you lie, right?”
–
Grrrrrowl!
“Ah. Okay.”
Damn, it seems to be true.
I gently scratched between Baek Ho’s slightly irritated brows while surveying the surroundings.
The occasional howl of wolves and the flutter of mountain birds taking flight each time. Those were the only sounds coming from around us.
‘Yeah, at least the sounds match up.’
Inwardly cursing, I checked the Quest window.
The linked Quest that had automatically begun when Mu Ya-ho and I separated from the group was surprisingly short and simple for such a high rank as Ultimate.
Quest
[Your Follower Appears]
You have chosen to track Yo-hee.
At the end of the path you now travel, may there be what you truly desire.
Rank
: Ultimate
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Find Yo-hee (Incomplete)
Reward
: ???
Failure
: ???
Finding Yo-hee. Of course I had to succeed.
But honestly, from my perspective, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Yo-hee or Hyuk-ung.
This is a mission I must accomplish regardless of whether it’s a Quest or not. Those two are among the most reliable cards I have to thwart the Nantian Demon Empress and Baek Sang’s scheme.
‘According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, the Beast King Miao Wang’s whereabouts are unknown, and the friendly forces within the Southern Beast Palace have essentially lost their power. In this time-pressed situation, rescuing the two tribal chiefs and heading to the Inner Palace is the best course of action.’
While I had Mu Ya-ho run himself ragged, I simply sat on his back and enjoyed the scenery. I’d already finished deliberating on this matter during the journey here.
Since I’ve become a scoundrel recognized by the Southern Beast Palace due to the Western Yao Tribe incident, charging in alone would only result in spears and blades waiting for me.
But if Hyuk-ung and Yo-hee, the very victims of the abduction, return alive alongside me?
‘The entire board flips. Decisively.’
Words carry different weight depending on who speaks them.
In that sense, if each tribal chief leading the Four Major Tribes came forward to prove my innocence and reveal the truth of this tragedy, every situation currently unfolding in the Southern Wilderness would enter a new phase.
That was precisely why I had to succeed in this Quest. It was a masterstroke capable of reversing the entire situation in one fell swoop.
Of course….
“You need to capture the first stone before you can play a brilliant move. It’s not easy, not from the start.”
I muttered like a sigh, sensing the presence of enemies closing in from all directions, and continued speaking.
“So instead of the stones, I’m thinking of capturing a few of these bastards first… who wants to die first?”
“…!”
As expected, there was no answer. Without hesitation, I unleashed my divine form.
Whoosh. Boom!
Flame Fire Path.
Flames erupting with each step became the tail of a meteor, tearing through the darkness.
* * *
The number of enemies was greater than at any point since I began tracking Hyang.
Just the visible heads alone numbered approximately three hundred.
Likely, an equal or greater number lurked behind that dense undergrowth.
But….
‘Merely this many?’
Within this massive food chain called the Martial World, I stand as a apex predator. To me at this moment, enemies surrounding me from all sides are nothing but helpless sheep.
Creatures I can subdue without even sinking my fangs into their throats.
Whoosh, boom!
My divine form shoots forward alongside flames that devour the darkness. Screams erupted among enemies who realized the truth half a beat too late.
“W-We’ve been discovered!”
“Stop him! The bastard is coming…!”
Boom!
Someone’s shout was buried beneath the thunderous explosion that followed.
The earth’s surface overturned and massive trees were uprooted. Dozens of enemies were sent flying in all directions as if by prior agreement.
“Ugh!”
“Aaaahhh!”
The already dense formation crumbled, and what filled those gaps were only screams.
As I walked forward brushing dirt from my shoulder, someone shouted.
“Send the beasts forward! Attack him from the rear!”
“Oh, you animal abusing bastard.”
But setting that aside, it was a decent choice.
The Southern Wilderness style of combat utilizing beasts had earned its own reputation, and it was precisely this method that allowed Southern Wilderness warriors—whose individual strength paled compared to the martial artists of the Central Plains—to shine in the Grand Council Tournament.
Of course, that was only when circumstances were favorable.
Grrrrooooar!
The moment the creature—possessing a frame far more massive than an ordinary fire bear—charged forward with a roar.
Whoooosh!
A pale blur streaked past my side with a sharp cutting sound, striking the alpha fire bear’s jaw.
Crack! Crunch!
Droplets of blood scattered through the air as the massive body crumpled to the ground.
Mu Ya-ho, who had just subdued the alpha fire bear—a creature that ranked among the top three strongest beasts here—with a single cat’s paw strike, let his eyes gleam with intensity.
Whoooooosh!
Invisible, yet unmistakably felt. A chill spreading outward in all directions.
‘This is….’
Fear.
As Baek Ho’s overwhelming pressure—a presence that transcended the vessel of a mere beast from birth—bore down upon the surroundings, the growls of the beasts ceased as if washed away, and their raised tails drooped toward the earth.
And at that very moment, when a strange radiance flickered once more across those pale blue eyes that held the moonlight.
– ROOOOOAAARRR!
The atmosphere trembled at the explosive roar that erupted forth.
As the wind surged, grass and flowers bowed, and the beasts with dilated pupils shrank back, retreating step by step.
And this phenomenon was not limited to the beasts alone.
“Huff.”
“My, my body….”
The aura Mu Ya-ho radiated fell short of the Water Dragon or the few monsters I had encountered thus far, yet it was sufficient to freeze some of the weaker enemies who lacked exceptional martial prowess.
Of course, that meant there were exceptions.
“You, you foolish wretches! What are you doing!”
A cry stained with panic and fury.
Upon spotting a middle-aged man clad in leopard skin at a relatively distant rear position, I shot forward like a single spear.
Whoooosh! Crack!
“Kyaaaah!”
“A, a monster!”
That’s right. At least in this moment, in this place, I am the sole monster.
An existence none can stop. A powerhouse I had only ever imagined in my mind, never once thinking I would face as an enemy in actual combat.
Even if everyone here stood against me, I possess the strength to advance.
“Protect the Tribal Chief!”
“By any means necessary, stop that creature… Cough!”
A gentle palm strike to the opponent’s chest.
As the scorching yang energy seeping into the body disrupted the flow of their vital force, blood erupted like a fountain, and their form collapsed.
“You dare!”
Whoosh! Thud.
Was the one I had just felled a comrade?
The momentum was impressive, but the skill fell short.
I caught the blade effortlessly between two fingers, demonstrating the subtlety of the Empty-Handed Blade Capture technique, and shrugged my shoulders toward the face visible beyond the trembling sword.
“You’re not dead. Though you’ll be coughing up blood for about a month while you recover.”
“…!”
“While you’re at it, stay in the bed next to mine.”
Boom!
My body shot backward with fierce momentum, sweeping away dozens of soldiers in its wake.
I walked through the wide-open path and spread both hands. The Fire Dragon coiled in my lower dantian surged through the meridians of my body and gathered in my palms.
Crackle. Sizzzzle.
Terrifying heat radiated outward in all directions.
Before their feet could even touch the muddy ground, the moisture evaporated, and pale-blue flames reflected in the eyes of the elite warriors charging toward me.
“W-wait a moment…!”
And I answered with my palms instead.
Like the former Yeolhwa Sect Master of old, who had once annihilated the Five Poison Sect, I unleashed the Flame Divine Palm in all directions.
Kwaaaang!
Boom boom boom!
The flames shot through the air, sweeping through the undergrowth and igniting the densely packed trees.
Beneath that massive inferno that swallowed the darkness, hundreds of enemies fled screaming.
Most gratefully, among them was a middle-aged man wearing a distinctly recognizable leopard-skin cloak.
“Get out of the way! Move, blast it!”
Judging by his frantic escape, he certainly valued his life.
But no matter how hard he and his entourage tried to break through this place, the word “impossible” didn’t exist in the world for nothing.
“Hmm. You can’t get through.”
“Y-you’re Jin Tae-kyung!”
“They called you a Tribal Chief, so I wasn’t sure. But now that I see your face, I definitely remember you from the Grand Council. So, how have you been all this time?”
Skreeeee!
This is why sword-wielders get a reputation for being uncivilized. I greeted him with genuine warmth, and he immediately swung his weapon at me.
Whoosh, crack!
“Aaaaagh!”
I easily dodged the blade and snapped his wrist, drawing a scream of agony.
I immediately unleashed Finger Wind at the five guards rushing toward me, and with Mu Ya-ho’s sudden appearance like the wind, the beasts retreated with their tails between their legs.
Crackle. Boom boom!
Sparks and ash scattered overhead, and as the giant trees toppled like dominoes, the Tribal Chief’s face drained of all color.
“P-please spare me….”
“Well, you’re a Tribal Chief after all, so naturally I should spare you. Of course, that depends on whether you answer my questions properly.”
“I-I’ll tell you anything you want to know!”
The Tribal Chief I had captured was exactly the type of enemy I most wanted to face. He valued his own life so much that he willingly spilled information I hadn’t even asked for.
And among that information were quite a few useful details.
“…A total mobilization order?”
The Tribal Chief nodded frantically.
“Yes, Baek Sang has assumed the position of temporary Palace Master, and a force of ten thousand soldiers is already stationed in the Inner Palace.”
“Continue.”
“The Miao Clan remains under strict surveillance and cannot respond, but the entire Southern Wilderness is mobilizing under the leadership of Baek Sang and the three major tribes.”
Damn it.
I swallowed the curse.
With Beast King Miao Wang’s escape, Baek Sang becoming temporary Palace Master was inevitable.
But a total mobilization order—not a dragnet to capture me alone.
‘Surely not.’
A sinister premonition seized my entire being.
Perhaps the scheme Dark Heaven had woven was far grander than anyone—including myself—had imagined, and it stood on the verge of completion.
‘If I delay even an hour here….’
Whoosh. Roooaaarrr.
Watching the flames spread rapidly across Ai-nao Mountain, I urgently propelled my body forward—into the darkness that clung to the mountain, into the inferno.

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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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