Murim Login - Chapter 681

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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 681
In that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
If the Black Hand Fist Demon hadn’t existed. If I had dodged that finger wind.
If the pain hadn’t surged from my shoulder where the finger wind pierced through at the exact moment our palms collided.
If I had known that the opponent’s martial technique was the Yin-Cold Qi.
If, just if that had been the case….
Who would be standing here right now?
But I was given no time to find answers to such questions.
Crash!
The frozen flames extinguished, and the Yin-Cold Qi that had consumed even the fire swelled as if ready to burst.
Beyond the unprecedented martial force that shook the very space, a hand wrapped in pure white light pressed against my chest.
Thud.
In that instant, only one thought filled my mind.
Cold.
Boom!
A tempest of freezing energy swept in all directions.
What engulfed me at its center was a fierce wind that lashed across my entire body, the surrounding landscape blurring past at tremendous speed, and an enormous recoil transmitted through my back.
Crash and crunch!
Trees. Boulders. Grass. And by sheer misfortune, countless unknown creatures caught in the maelstrom.
Whether they had been dead or alive made no difference.
Like a misfired projectile, my body was hurled backward, and everything it collided with was snapped, shattered, and obliterated.
Yet the thick stone wall that blocked my path—a path where my will had no say whatsoever—was both a misfortune and a blessing.
Crash! Crunch and crack!
Even through the haze, I felt the impact with each collision.
The landscape that had been flickering past my vision finally stopped, but so did I, having bounced dozens of zhang and embedded myself deep within the stone wall.
‘Damn…it.’
The voice I squeezed out with all my might couldn’t escape past my lips.
The world was red yet blurred, and a constant ringing echoed in my ears.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
For a ringing in the ears, this was rather unusual.
“…Shit.”
I lifted my head with a hollow laugh.
Instead of the usual clear bell tone, warning alarms accompanied by more than a dozen holographic windows floated in the air.
‘I’ve been completely played. Utterly.’
A bitter smile escaped me unbidden.
Pain surged relentlessly from all manner of injuries.
My hands and feet trembled from the cold of the Yin-Cold Qi that had penetrated deep into my body, making the realm of Imperviousness to Cold and Heat seem like a joke.
‘I need to get up. I need to fight again….’
Contrary to my will, my body with loosened bolts refused to obey.
I was cold, and I was exhausted.
If I closed my eyes right now, it felt like I could finally get a good, long sleep.
Yes. Without anyone waking me from some dream, if I slept until my back ached, everything would be fine.
By the time I woke up, the pain that assailed my entire body and this damned body that wouldn’t obey would be perfectly fine, and as I lay in the warm microfiber blanket fidgeting with my smartphone, I’d hear my mother’s voice through the crack in the door.
– Jin Tae-kyung, Jin Ha-yeon. Dinner’s ready, so come on out.
Then I’d groggily get up and head to the kitchen, and unlike what I’d just heard, I’d set spoons and side dishes on the empty dining table to prepare the meal.
All while catching the savory aroma of miso stew drifting over my mother’s shoulder as she turned away.
‘Ah, how nice.’
Thoughts that brought peace to my heart just by remembering them.
Contrary to the corners of my mouth rising without my knowledge, my eyelids kept drooping downward.
Swish.
Something rough and damp brushing across my face.
The first things that entered my vision as I slowly opened my eyes were sharp teeth and clear, pale blue eyes.
–
Whimper.
The moment our eyes met, Baek Ho whined like a puppy, and a small laugh escaped me.
“…So it’s you?”
–
Whine. Whimper.
Though I couldn’t understand the words, I felt it clearly enough. What meaning lay in those cries. What he was trying to tell me.
“Huff.”
Pain that came with each breath.
It felt like waking from a long dream. The thoughts that crossed my mind were lengthy, but the moments I’d passed through were brief.
Fragments of stone dust fell onto my body, buried deep within a stone wall of immeasurable thickness.
Only seconds had passed since I allowed that single strike. There was still time.
Crack.
I muttered while supporting myself on the ground with hands trembling from the chills.
“Stop crying. I’m not dead yet.”
A response to him and, at the same time, words I cast to myself.
That’s right. I wasn’t dead yet, and even if I were a spark that had cooled for a moment, I could ignite again and again.
Just like now.
Roaaaaar.
The inner force I drew up from my lower dantian heated hundreds of meridians and spread throughout my limbs and torso.
In the process of temporarily sealing the internal injuries that had thrown my body into disarray, a searing pain assailed me, and something surged up my throat.
Cough.
Dark red blood spilled from between my lips, but I paid it no mind. That was dead blood. In other words, stagnant blood.
And the moment that dead blood touched the ground, it was covered in pristine frost.
Crack.
Yin cold energy. And the most extreme yin cold energy I’d ever witnessed.
Even during the Shaolin Blood Massacre in the past, the Yin Demon—one of the Yin-Yang Twin Demons who had led the warriors of Dark Heaven in a sudden assault on the Shaolin Temple grounds—hadn’t been this extreme.
“…Yes, that’s right. This is it.”
I let out a small chuckle and rose to my feet without hesitation.
Patter, patter—as my body moved abruptly, leaves and stone dust that clung to me scattered away, and a sharp ache bloomed across my frame.
Yet paradoxically, my inner core blazed with newfound warmth. The hands that had trembled from the bitter cold steadied, and my blurred vision sharpened into clarity.
Clear enough to recognize the two silhouettes drawing steadily closer.
Step by step.
Footfalls crossing slowly through the Poison Blood Land—transformed from swamp to desert, from desert to frost-laden earth.
Behind them walked the Black Hand Fist Demon, his expression brimming with triumph, yet my gaze remained fixed upon a single figure.
‘Damn old fool.’
It was in that moment, as I watched the Old Master move with leisurely steps—as if admiring a landscape he himself had painted—that I raised my White Flame Spear at an angle.
“Unexpected. I was certain you wouldn’t be able to move at all.”
The Old Master spoke abruptly.
No—now I too knew his epithet. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I had remembered it.
“That’s something only an old codger like you, the Great Snow Ghost, would concern yourself with.”
“Youth is a fine thing indeed. Yet why do you not understand? In circumstances such as these, it only brings greater suffering.”
The Great Snow Ghost continued, answering with the same unwavering composure he had always shown.
“The battle is already decided. Should you surrender now, I will spare your life. This is my first and final offer.”
“Senior! What are you saying!”
Naturally, those words were not mine. The Black Hand Fist Demon’s face twisted in protest, and the Great Snow Ghost shook his head.
“This command came directly from Ma-hu herself. Should I let you live, it would surely become a great calamity in the future, yet she has instructed me to capture you alive if possible. And victory is already ours.”
“Even so…!”
“Hold your tongue.”
“…!”
“I understand your feelings well enough, but this is a matter of Heaven itself. Question me further, and I will not forgive you.”
His aura and tone were sharp as frost-laden blades. Even a half-crazed demon like the Black Hand Fist Demon knew better than to resist further.
“This dog-cursed…”
The Great Snow Ghost ignored the muttering that escaped through the demon’s clenched teeth and extended his hand toward me.
“To continue a battle whose outcome is already clear is foolish. Surrender instead and preserve your future. Thus the Yeolhwa Sect and the Taewon Jin Family can maintain their bloodlines.”
I stared at the Great Snow Ghost and answered.
Not with words, but with action.
Whiiiing!
A sharp piercing sound rang through the void.
The Great Snow Ghost sidestepped by precisely half a pace, evading my spear strike, and spoke calmly.
“I made myself clear. This was my first and final offer.”
“So?”
“I thought you were quite clever, yet you choose the foolish path after all. Do you not sense that victory has already tilted?”
“Victory, you say.”
I murmured softly and continued.
“Honestly, I do want to live. But I’m not the type to surrender or flee just because things have tilted slightly. Unlike some people.”
The Great Snow Ghost paused for a moment, then nodded slightly as if he had grasped something.
“You know me.”
“I’ve heard whispers of aliases like the White Snow Master or the Great Snow Ghost.”
“An alias not easily heard by a mere child like you… Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang. Did your master tell you?”
“Then the Heavenly Demon must have told me, damn it.”
I shrugged and continued.
“He said if I ever encountered a bastard using dual wheels in the Yin-Yang realm, that would be the Great Snow Ghost or his successor. He said he wanted to kill you with his own hands, but it’s unfortunate that you vanished without a trace after killing the previous sect master of the Zhongnan Sect.”
“I find that regrettable as well. Had my old self met your master during the Heavenly Demon War, I could have slain the Fire King and made a name for myself across the realm.”
“At best, you would have been the Ice God instead of the Great Snow Ghost. You bastard.”
“…!”
For the first time, a reaction came. The Great Snow Ghost’s brow furrowed subtly but unmistakably, and I smirked.
“So you do have some pride after all. Though judging by how you fled back then, it seems you don’t.”
“I merely deferred my plans. I am not foolish enough to stake my life in a situation of overwhelming odds.”
In truth, based on the information I’d gathered, the Great Snow Ghost’s judgment at that time had been cold and sound.
He killed the previous sect master of the Zhongnan Sect, threw their command structure into chaos, and used that opportunity to escape the Great Snow Mountain, vanishing without a trace.
But…
“So what?”
“What?”
“You simply fled out of fear. You didn’t want to die. You were afraid of death. That’s why you stayed hidden for so long.”
“…You.”
“I’m not saying it to mock you. I don’t want to die either. But if you’ve lived this long, you should be honest about the parts you’re unwilling to admit. Shouldn’t you?”
Deep wrinkles carved themselves into the Great Snow Ghost’s brow. Simultaneously, a formidable Yin-Yang energy surged forth, pressing down on everything around us.
“I have heard you well. Your final words—I shall relay them to your master when we meet.”
Final words.
‘Perhaps that may be the case.’
I took a deep breath. My opponent was no ordinary ruffian.
Moreover, facing two supreme masters while injured was nothing short of suicide.
Death? Of course I’m afraid.
Ever since becoming a Hunter, I had always feared death, and it was no different after coming to the Murim.
But now, having accepted the word “death” one step deeper into my heart, things were different from before.
‘I can do anything. Anything at all.’
Not a fight for survival, but a fight to kill.
Therefore, in this very moment, I could charge forward without hesitation, unburdened by the fear of death.
Screeeeeech!

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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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